Three people were arrested after a 23-year-old man was pepper sprayed and stabbed in the thigh during a dispute at a Hilltop apartment early today.

Paramedics took the victim to Tacoma General Hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, Tacoma police reported.

The victim had gotten into an argument with the tenants of a lower-unit apartment in the 1000 block of South 14th Street. He was sprayed with pepper spray and stabbed in the thigh.

Tacoma police officers spotted a red Cadillac speeding away from the scene. The Cadillac was stopped.

A 17-year-old girl inside the car was identified as …

Read more »

Tacoma police are searching for two people suspected in a takeover-style robbery of a Hilltop bank this morning.

Two people wearing hooded sweatshirts that zip up to create masks held up the Key Bank, 1102 S. 11th St., about 9:45 a.m., Tacoma police reported. One had a gun. The employees were ordered to empty their tills.

The robbers left on foot. No one was injured.

The department released surveillance images of the suspects this afternoon. The hooded sweatshirts completely disguised the suspects’ identities.

The sweatshirts are both “Volcom” brand. One was gray with random stripes. Its mask featured a large …

Read more »

A fire inside a Hilltop home this morning left two adults and two kids without a place to stay, Tacoma fire reported.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 900 block of South M Street just after 7:40 a.m., fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said. The occupants were out by the time firefighters arrived.

The flames were primarily on the second floor, which is a finished attic. Crews extinguished the blaze and were working to clear the smoke from the house.

No injuries were reported.

Investigators determined the fire was sparked by an overheated lamp. It caused $30,000 damage to …

Read more »

Tacoma police were searching for a man who attacked a clerk at a Hilltop convenience store late Wednesday.

Just after 11 p.m., the clerk spotted some activity on the internal monitors for the store’s surveillance system. One of the exterior surveillance cameras was being removed, police reported.

The clerk went outside the store at 1901 Martin Luther King Jr. Way and spotted a man on a stand, trying to remove the camera.

The suspect got off the stand and attacked the clerk. The two fought, police said.

The suspect pulled out a knife, swung at the clerk and missed. He …

Read more »

Tacoma fire crews are on the scene of a house fire in the area of South 17th Street and Ainsworth Avenue.

Smoke is billowing out of the roof and flames can be seen in the top-floor windows of the Tacoma house.

Plumes of black and gray smoke can be seen from several blocks away.

We will post more information when it becomes available.

UPDATE: According to neighbors, a little boy was being treated for smoke inhalation and a woman for third-degree burns. The Tacoma Fire Department would not confirm the reports.

According to initial reports, the fire at a yellow …

Read more »

Tacoma police arrested a suspected burglar late Monday after he allegedly climbed in through a kitchen window and stole several items from a Hilltop apartment.

Occupants of the apartment in the 700 block of South I Street called police at 11:55 p.m. Monday. They reported that a burglar had climbed in through the kitchen window, police reported.

As officers arrived, the suspect climbed back out the window. Officers caught up to the suspect about half a block away, police reported.

The suspect had several items stolen from the apartment. Officers booked him into Pierce County Jail about 12:45 a.m. on …

Read more »

The 28-year-old man who was shot in the head Saturday evening on the Hilltop has died of his injuries, according to court documents.

Robert L. Jackson Jr. died at noon Sunday at St. Joseph Medical Center, the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office reports.

Prosecutors charged the alleged gunman, 29-year-old Tony L. Smith, today with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.

Pleas of not guilty were entered on Smith’s behalf. He was ordered held in Pierce County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

Courts reporter Adam Lynn attended Smith’s arraignment and will have a story …

Read more »

Tacoma police have arrested the man suspected of shooting another man in the head Saturday evening on the Hilltop.

The 29-year-old man was booked into Pierce County Jail this morning on suspicion of two counts of first-degree assault, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. Tacoma police also have arrested a 19-year-old man on an outstanding warrant and in connection to the shooting.

Meanwhile, the victim is hospitalized in critical condition with no brain activity, officials report.

The shooting occurred just after 4 p.m. Saturday near South 19th and M streets. Officers found the victim, a man in his late 20s, …

Read more »