A couple were critically injured Wednesday night when Olympia police say the son attacked them with a "sword" at their Olympia home.
The incident occurred at around 8:15 p.m. at a home on the 3500 block of Merryman Place Southeast, near LBA Park and several schools, Police Lt. Paul Lower said.
Multiple officers responded to the scene after dispatch tracked a suspicious 911 call in which a disturbance could be heard in the background, Lower said.
When officers arrived, they heard a woman screaming from an upstairs bedroom and forcibly entered the home, he said. The bedroom door was locked, but the screaming persisted, so officers forced their way into the bedroom, Lower said.
Once inside, officers reported seeing a man holding a large blade above a man and woman who were on the ground with multiple stab wounds, Lower said. Officers referred to the blade multiple ways, with some of them describing it as a type of "sword" in the police report, Lower said.
"It was a horrifying scene," Lower said.
Officers ordered the man to drop to the ground, Lower said. Court documents indicate the man allegedly resisted arrest and a sergeant used a taser on him. The officers immediately began assisting the wounded man and woman with "combat trauma kits," Lower said.
"Our officers carry kits that have materials in them for stab wounds or bullet wounds..." Lower said. "These are the more aggressive kind of life-saving tools."
Lower said the "sword" wielder is the 37-year-old son of the two victims, both of whom are 72. All three of them lived together in the home, he said.
First responders transported the injured woman to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia while the injured man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Lower said. Both of them were in critical condition Thursday morning, he said.
Officers booked the 37-year-old man into the Thurston County jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree attempted murder, Lower said.
Police are still investigating the situation as of Thursday morning, Lower said. He said officers were initially unable to determine how or why this incident occurred.
"There was not time for investigation," Lower said. "It was time to stop the assault and once that assault was stopped, it was time to get these two to immediate medical attention."
The 37-year-old man was scheduled to attend a preliminary hearing in Thurston County Superior Court on Thursday, but he did not appear.
Judge Christopher Lanese found probable cause for two-counts of second-degree murder and one count of resisting arrest during the hearing. Lanese also ordered the man be held in custody until further order.
The question of bail will be addressed when the man appears in court. Lanese scheduled the man's preliminary hearing for Friday.
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