Police investigating attempted robbery, shooting at Point Defiance. Here’s what we know
Tacoma police are investigating the attempted robbery and shooting of a 55-year-old woman Tuesday evening at Point Defiance Park. Police said Wednesday that a person was trying to steal her purse.
No arrests have been made, a Tacoma Police Department spokesperson said. It was reported at about 5:37 p.m. near the Rose Garden toward the front entrance of the park.
Police said the woman was walking back to her parked car when someone tried to rob her. A gunshot was fired, and the bullet grazed the woman’s head. Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow said she couldn’t confirm where the gunshot came from. The injury wasn’t life-threatening, police said.
The would-be robber fled the park in a car occupied by several other people, police said. Haddow didn’t have further suspect information to provide, though dispatch recordings indicated that a short time later, officers were granted permission to pursue a red Kia sedan occupied by four people.
Point Defiance Park, located at the northernmost point of Tacoma, is a 760-acre park with gardens, beaches and miles of trails. Police reported that Tuesday’s shooting occurred at an address on Five Mile Drive, the outer loop of which closed to vehicle traffic last year. Haddow clarified Wednesday that the incident occurred near the front of the park, where cars park in a loop around the rose, dahlia and herb gardens.
Metro Parks has some of its own security measures. Spokesperson Stacia Glenn said the park district contracts with a local security guard firm, and guards are on duty daily moving from park to park. Police enforce the law, but Glenn said guards are in charge of dealing with security issues or complaints as well as clearing parking lots and locking gates at night. Glenn said the parks district doesn’t have any immediate plans to increase security.
“Although yesterday’s incident was frightening and sad, it appears to be an isolated incident,” Glenn wrote in an emailed statement.
Anyone with information about the attempted robbery was asked to contact Crime Stoppers online or by calling 1-800-222-TIPS.
