Man stabbed in dispute over couch; officer credited with saving victim's life

From Olympia P.D.



OLYMPIA, Wash. -- An argument over a couch and some belongings led to a man being stabbed late Saturday in Olympia.

According to police, a man who had regularly been sleeping on a couch near the intersection of 7th Avenue East and Frnaklin Street returned to find another man on the couch, and some of his belongings were missing.

The man confronted the suspect who pulled a knife. Police say the victim tried to gather some of his belongings, and the suspect attacked him with a knife, slashing his arm.

The suspect used a broom to defend himself before the suspect ran off.

Witnesses told police they tried to catch the suspect and called 9-1-1. They eventually flagged down an officer who immediately applied a tourniquet to the victim's arm.

He was taken to St. Peter's Hospital and later transferred to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where doctors said if it weren't for the tourniquet, the victim would likely have bled to death.

Investigators said a witness to the crime spotted the suspect at a grocery store and called police. They arrested the 31-year-old suspect who was booked into Thurston County Jail.