24-year-old man in custody after allegedly wielding large sword in Puyallup pharmacy

A 24-year-old man is in custody after allegedly walking into a South Hill pharmacy wielding a large sword and then walking through a crowded shopping area, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident happened on the evening of July 3 near 176th Street and Meridian in Puyallup’s South Hill area, as many families were out preparing for Fourth of July celebrations.

Man accused of wielding large sword was known shoplifting suspect

Pierce County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Carly Cappetto said deputies were called after a known shoplifting suspect entered a local pharmacy.

“He had entered the store with a very large katana sword, and was using it to essentially threaten and intimidate customers and employees,” Cappetto said.

Employees recognized the man from past incidents and believed he was going to steal from the store. When they verbally asked him to leave, the situation escalated.

“He did begin to intimidate and threaten employees with the sword, and then he took off on foot,” Cappetto said.

The suspect fled the pharmacy and walked toward a nearby Fred Meyer across 176th, still armed with the sword. It was about 7:30 p.m., and the parking lot was filled with shoppers, including women and children.

The sheriff’s office deployed Pierce One, its air support unit, which quickly located the suspect and provided real-time updates as he moved through the busy parking lot.

“They were able to get eyes on him and give us real-time information on his exact location as he walked through that busy parking lot, armed with a sword,” Cappetto said. “You could tell he was very escalated and agitated, and that people were threatened by him.”

From the air, the man could be seen swinging the sword and carrying it at his side as he walked.

Deputies use Taser to take down suspect

When deputies approached to arrest him for armed robbery and intimidation with a weapon, the suspect dropped the sword and ran, prompting a short foot chase.

A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper and two Pierce County deputies pursued him before deploying a Taser and taking him to the ground.

He was evaluated by fire personnel for minor scratches and the effects of the Taser, then cleared and booked into the Pierce County Jail for: armed robbery, intimidation with a weapon, and resisting arrest.

No customers, employees, deputies, or troopers were injured.

Authorities cite mental health component in sword incident

Cappetto emphasized how dangerous the situation could have become.

“These are very scary situations, especially for customers that are in the parking lot with their children and their groceries, and you see this man swinging this large, long-bladed sword around, not knowing what his intentions are,” she said. “There appeared to be a mental health component and some instability involved, which raised additional concern.”

Cappetto noted deputies are familiar with the impacts of mental health in the community.

“Pierce County is not unfamiliar with the mental health and kind of how that’s impacted our community,” she said. “We have had a handful of homicides just this year that have involved unprovoked attacks from weapons and swords.”

Authorities said they were grateful for the quick coordination between air support, deputies on the ground, and WSP. They were also relieved the incident ended without anyone getting hurt.

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