Felon allegedly attacks police officer with hammer
TUMWATER, Wash. -- A police officer hit in the head with a hammer several times while attempting to arrest a suspected felon is expected to return to the force within days, the Tumwater Police Department said.
Police were calls around 8:45 p.m. Monday of an underage runaway living in an apartment in the 300 block of T Street Southwest in Tumwater. A 23-year-old felon was also suspected of living at the apartment.
Officers arrived on scene and contacted the renter of the apartment. The renter allowed the officers in the building, but a man allegedly jumped out of a bathroom and ambushed one officer, striking him in the head several times with a hammer. The officer quickly backed out of the apartment and closed the door, police said.
At the urging of others in the apartment, the suspect and alleged felon surrendered himself within minutes. He was booked into the Thurston County Jail for first-degree assault and his prior felony warrant. Three other subjects in the apartment were also taken into custody, and an underage runaway was returned to guardians.
The injured police officer was transported to a local hospital, where he was treated and released.
Tumwater police detectives are investigating the incident.