The following information was compiled from Renton Police Department case reports.
A transient wielding a sock with a Lucky 13 pool ball inside struck a 65-year-old Renton man in the calf April 20 while he was sitting on a bench next to the Cedar River.
The victim told officers the 42-year-old suspect, who is known to officers, called him an offensive name. The suspect told the victim and two others with him to leave because they were disturbing him with their loud talk.
The suspect then hit the victim with the pool ball, leaving a painful mark.
Witnesses knows the suspect as “Matt with no dog.” He was found at the Salvation Army eating dinner. He was taken outside after the crowd inside started to confront officers.
He resisted, hitting his head on an officer’s patrol vehicle, causing a bloody nose. He eventually was controlled on the ground and searched for weapons. He continued to resist.
When a crowd started to intervene, officers moved him down the block, where he refused medical attention.
He was booked into the SCORE regional jail for investigation of fourth-degree assault.
BOY PEPPER SPRAYED: A 2-year-old boy was hit by pepper spray during a domestic argument early on April 21 on Northeast 18th Street.
The ex-boyfriend of the child’s mother wanted to talk to her, then he discharged the pepper spray at a man who was standing inside the house by an open window.
The man ducked but the spray hit the 2-year-old, whose face barely cleared the window sill. The mother declined treatment for the boy.
The ex-boyfriend was found nearby; he told an officer the man inside the house had sprayed him while he stood outside. The officer reasoned it was unlikely the man inside reached outside and sprayed the pepper spray toward himself and the child.
Renton prosecutors were considering whether to cite the 32-year-old Tacoma man with breach of peace.
FOUR TIRES SLASHED: The four tires on a 1997 four-door Lexus sedan were slashed and white paint poured on the hood and windshield the evening of April 23.
The vandalism occurred in the 800 block of Rainier Avenue North. The car had been parked in its carport.
Damage was estimated at $2,800.
METH FOUND ON SHOPLIFTER: A 27-year-old Auburn man who concealed electronics under his coat April 21 was arrested after walking out of the Target at The Landing without paying for them.
A man who was handing him some of the items but didn’t conceal any was trespassed from the store.
Multiple items were recovered from underneath the suspect’s coat, valued at about $430.
During the search, officers found a small plastic bag of a cloudy crystal-like substance. The .15 grams field tested as methamphetamine.
The Auburn man was booked into the SCORE regional jail for investigation of drug possession and third-degree theft.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER STOLEN: A catalytic converter was stolen April 20 from a 2004 Toyota Tacoma pickup truck at a park and ride lot on Hardie Avenue Southwest.
The owner had left the truck full of gas but the tank was empty when she returned. The exhaust pipes were also damaged.
The loss was estimated at $600.
