Deputies rescue kitten in Pierce County after confronting hatchet-wielding suspect
Nov 5, 2025, 9:33 AM
A photo of a kitten crossing a roadway toward a Pierce County Sheriff's Office arrest at a Safeway. (Photo courtesy of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office)
(Photo courtesy of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office)
A kitten needed rescue when two shoplifters were arrested in Pierce County after threatening Safeway employees with a hatchet last week.
On Oct. 29 at approximately 4 p.m., Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies were dispatched to the Safeway off 158th Street S. and Pacific Avenue S., PCSO reported.
When officers made initial contact with the suspects, they were on the sidewalk near the Safeway, with one of the suspects holding a hatchet and a kitten.
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As an officer pointed a firearm at the suspect, the man dropped the kitten on the ground, causing the baby pet to run toward a PCSO deputy.
Both suspects were detained while officers spoke with the Safeway employees.
One suspect, a 29-year-old man who threatened the employees with a hatchet, was arrested and booked for felony harassment, outstanding warrants, and given a trespass notification by deputies. The other suspect, a 44-year-old man, was released at the scene and provided a trespass notification.
The kitten was relocated to a new home after the suspect agreed. The suspect claimed the kitten was found in an alley.
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