MOSES LAKE, Wash. — The Moses Lake Police Department has issued a statement in response to a video circulating online showing an elderly man being assaulted by a CJ Meats employee following an argument.
According to police, the altercation occurred on July 27 at CJ Meats in Moses Lake. Officers arrived at the scene and found that an 86-year-old man had been assaulted by an employee of the business.
NonStop Local has reviewed the video, however we haven’t been granted permission to share it. It shows an elderly man who appears to be speaking and pointing at an employee behind the counter. A younger employee then enters the frame, confronts the elderly man and the situation escalates. The employee pushes the man and punches him several times. The young man then stands over the elderly man and appears to say something before walking behind the counter to make a call. The elderly man later gets up and walks out of the store.
Police confirmed that the video of the incident was released to the public by a local media outlet, which hadn’t reached out for comment. According to the department, some members of the public mistakenly believed the case had not been investigated.
“The truth is that the case was investigated fully by the responding officer, and multiple follow up contacts were made with the victim, including obtaining photographs of injuries and medical records. The last contact with the victim was Sept. 4. The case was completed, approved and filed with the prosecutor’s office on Sept. 18,” Moses Lake Police Department said.
Police explained that early in the investigation, the most appropriate charge identified was fourth-degree assault, a gross misdemeanor.
“This is the lowest level of assault, and is a gross misdemeanor. To escalate to a felony, there needs to be some sort of significant injury (broken bone, etc.) or a weapon used in the assault. In this case, the victim was checked on scene by paramedics and refused further medical treatment,” police said.
Another complicating factor, police noted, was booking restrictions in place in July when the incident occurred. At that time, police generally could not book people into jail for misdemeanors or gross misdemeanors. Given the info available at the time, police said they were unable to book the suspect. Grant County is building a new jail.
The police department concluded by stating that the prosecutor’s office ultimately decides what charges, if any, to file in a criminal case. Police said that they gather info and make recommendations, but it is the prosecutor’s office that determines the charges.
NonStop Local reached to CJ Meats for comment but haven’t received a immediate response yet.
