Tacoma laundry detergent thief threatened QFC employee with knife, deputies say

TACOMA, Wash. - A Pierce County deputy arrested a man accused of stealing several jugs of laundry detergent and threatening a QFC employee with a knife on Wednesday.

Around 3:20 p.m., a deputy responded to the QFC on Pacific Avenue S and 112th Street S in Tacoma for reports of an armed robbery.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department says the deputy spoke with store employees, who said a man in a red hoodie stole several yellow jugs of detergent.

When one of the employees approached the thief, he grabbed a knife in a sheath on his waist, according to the Sheriff's Department. The employee backed away and the suspect left the store.

One of the employees took a good photo of the suspect's clothing, and several people on the sidewalk said he walked north on Pacific Ave.

The deputy eventually located the suspect sitting on a curb with two other people on E 88th Street.

The Sheriff's Department says after detaining the suspect, the deputy located three yellow detergent jugs, scented laundry crystals, and the knife in the sheath. The knife was taken as evidence in the robbery.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department commended the deputy for gathering information from witnesses and quickly tracking down the suspected thief.

"What usually is just a report with minimal suspect information turned into a great proactive arrest by our deputy taking the time to talk to people in the area who helped him locate this robbery suspect. Great Job!" a Facebook post from PCSD read.

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