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TUMWATER -- Three men were under investigation Friday after one of them punched a 69-year-old man who honked his horn as they pushed a stalled van up Capitol Boulevard, Tumwater police reported.
The victim drove up behind the van, which was blocking traffic in the southbound lanes near E Street, about 3 p.m. He honked to alert the men when he noticed the van rolling back toward him, Tumwater police officer Jennifer Kolb said.
The main suspect, a 24-year-old man, yelled at the Taurus driver to get out and help push. When the driver declined because of his age and health, the suspect walked up to his window and punched him in the nose, Kolb said.
Then, as one of the other men tried to pull the suspect away, the suspect went to the other side of the victim's car and bashed out its passenger window, Kolb said.
"All he said was 'I can't help you, I'm a 70-year-old and I have a heart condition,' " she said.
Police arrested the main suspect for investigation of assault, and another suspect, a 28-year-old man, on suspicion of identity theft and providing false information to an officer, Kolb said. The assault suspect was booked into the Nisqually Jail and the other suspect into the Thurston County Jail.
"This is kind of unusual," Kolb said.
She said the victim seemed in shock because the attack was so random.
Police are uncertain whether the three men gave their real names because they so far haven't checked out. The 28-year-old provided officers with two different Social Security numbers, she said.
All three, who were traveling with a woman, claimed to be siblings and lifelong carnival workers on their way to Seattle, Kolb said.
"As far as we can tell, none of them have warrants for their arrests," she said.
Police were called as the victim pulled off the road after the assault. When officers arrived, the third man, a 34-year-old, claimed that the Taurus driver struck him. He walked with a limp and was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital for evaluation, Kolb said.
But some witnesses saw the man limping before the incident, and the Taurus driver recalls only accidentally striking the van as he pulled away, she said.
"We're still trying to piece together what happened," she said.
Police searched the Dodge van, which the suspects pushed into the Western Meat Co. parking lot, and found no additional information. The van has not been licensed since 1996, she said.
Kolb said the van had run out of gas, although she didn't know if that was its only problem.
About two hours later, the van caught fire as the woman tried to start it. She had put some gas in the vehicle. Firefighters were called to extinguish the fire, Kolb said.
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050507/NEWS/505070303
The victim drove up behind the van, which was blocking traffic in the southbound lanes near E Street, about 3 p.m. He honked to alert the men when he noticed the van rolling back toward him, Tumwater police officer Jennifer Kolb said.
The main suspect, a 24-year-old man, yelled at the Taurus driver to get out and help push. When the driver declined because of his age and health, the suspect walked up to his window and punched him in the nose, Kolb said.
Then, as one of the other men tried to pull the suspect away, the suspect went to the other side of the victim's car and bashed out its passenger window, Kolb said.
"All he said was 'I can't help you, I'm a 70-year-old and I have a heart condition,' " she said.
Police arrested the main suspect for investigation of assault, and another suspect, a 28-year-old man, on suspicion of identity theft and providing false information to an officer, Kolb said. The assault suspect was booked into the Nisqually Jail and the other suspect into the Thurston County Jail.
"This is kind of unusual," Kolb said.
She said the victim seemed in shock because the attack was so random.
Police are uncertain whether the three men gave their real names because they so far haven't checked out. The 28-year-old provided officers with two different Social Security numbers, she said.
All three, who were traveling with a woman, claimed to be siblings and lifelong carnival workers on their way to Seattle, Kolb said.
"As far as we can tell, none of them have warrants for their arrests," she said.
Police were called as the victim pulled off the road after the assault. When officers arrived, the third man, a 34-year-old, claimed that the Taurus driver struck him. He walked with a limp and was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital for evaluation, Kolb said.
But some witnesses saw the man limping before the incident, and the Taurus driver recalls only accidentally striking the van as he pulled away, she said.
"We're still trying to piece together what happened," she said.
Police searched the Dodge van, which the suspects pushed into the Western Meat Co. parking lot, and found no additional information. The van has not been licensed since 1996, she said.
Kolb said the van had run out of gas, although she didn't know if that was its only problem.
About two hours later, the van caught fire as the woman tried to start it. She had put some gas in the vehicle. Firefighters were called to extinguish the fire, Kolb said.
http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050507/NEWS/505070303
