Pet store customer’s response to mask request: ‘I’ll shoot you in the face’

Asked to wear mask, customer loses it

A Port Orchard man threatened to shoot employees of a Gig Harbor pet store who asked him to wear a face mask, police reported.

Employees of the PetSmart store at 5304 Point Fosdick Dr. told police a customer became angry Sept. 18 when he was asked to use a mask at the checkout counter. He said he had a gun in his car and would use it. “I will shoot you in the face,” employees said he told them. The customer made “political statements” and left without paying, the store manager told police.

The store declined to press charges on the stolen items, and the frightened employees asked to remain anonymous.

A Gig Harbor police officer contacted the 45-year-old man by phone at his Port Orchard home and warned him he would be cited for trespass if he returned to the pet store within a year. The man said he was “fine with that,” the officer reported.

Ungenerous welcome to newcomer

A newcomer to Gig Harbor told police a U-Haul truck containing all his belongings was stolen from a motel parking lot the night he arrived.

Police said the 15-foot truck with Arizona plates was taken from the parking lot of the Inn at Gig Harbor, 3211 56th St., about 2 a.m. Sept. 15. The theft was captured on video, but the footage was too indistinct to be of use, police said.

The 60-year-old victim told officers he had just moved from Mesquite, Nevada, and the truck contained all his furniture and other household goods, including chairs, tables, dishes, silverware and a bed. He estimated their total value at $4,000.

Jewel robbery suspect tackled

A man police said snatched a $6,000 gold necklace from a Gig Harbor jewelry store was arrested after he was tackled in the parking lot by the proprietor.

Officers said they arrived at Clark’s Jewelers, 6946 Kimball Dr., on Sept. 17 to find the suspect being held on the ground by the store owner and a bystander. The 27-year-old Belfair man admitted to grabbing the necklace after the manager took it from a display case for him to examine, police said. The man said he “blacked out” and ran.

The necklace, valued at $6,375, was returned to the store and the customer was cited for theft.

Chase through town ends in arrest

A traffic chase through the streets of Gig Harbor led to the arrest of an 18-year-old Gig Harbor man, police said.

The pursuit began about 1:15 p.m. on Sept. 24, when an officer saw a Toyota sedan speeding in the wrong lane on Burnham Drive, police said. One door of the car was flapping open, and it was dragging part of a tree underneath, the officer said.

The officer pursued as the car reached speeds of between 80 and 90 mph, but terminated the chase when he was unable to reach a supervisor. The car’s license plate led police to a house in the 6400 block of Soundview Drive, where the driver was arrested.

The man told police he had taken “a couple dabs” of THC at a party on the Key Peninsula. A bag of white powder was found in a pants pocket as he was being booked, police said. It later tested positive for cocaine.

Mom says son defrauded her by phone

A Gig Harbor woman told police her 25-year-old son used her smartphone to siphon $200 from her bank account.

Police said the woman told them her son asked to use her phone while visiting her on Sept. 16, then used apps on it to transfer money from her account to his own via Paypal. She told officers her son has had drug problems and had begged her for money.

This story was originally published October 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.