A man who allegedly tried to take car keys from an elderly woman in Centralia Tuesday morning is in custody after the woman and her grandson fought and restrained him.
Officers with the Centralia Police Department were dispatched to the parking lot of a medical facility in the 1900 block of Cooks Hill Road just after 7:50 p.m. on Aug. 2 for a report that a male wearing “hospital/patient attire” attempted to take car keys from an elderly female, according to the department’s call log.
The suspect, identified by law enforcement as Talaalemotu N. Tuupo, 37, of Tacoma, allegedly “threw the victim down on the ground in an attempt to steal her keys and vehicle,” according to the call log.
The woman reportedly “held onto her keys while fighting the suspect on the ground, until her grandson was able to physically detain the suspect,” the Centralia Police Department stated. The woman sustained minor injuries from the attack.
Law enforcement arrested Tuupo and booked him into the Lewis County Jail Tuesday morning for first-degree attempted robbery. Fourth-degree assault charges were also referred to the Lewis County Prosecutor’s Office, according to the Centralia Police Department.
Charges against Tuupo had not been formally filed as of Wednesday morning, but Tuupo had a preliminary hearing in Lewis County Superior Court scheduled for 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
