A 48-year-old Port Townsend man was arrested Aug. 6 after allegedly assaulting two minors when one of the juveniles purportedly removed a “Blue Lives Matter” flag from the man’s property.  

The homeowner was arrested on suspicion of second-degree robbery and two charges of fourth-degree assault.

The man is accused of assaulting the boy and girl and then taking their skateboards and a cell phone, according to court records. 

According to a statement of probable cause, after arriving at the scene police found the homeowner with the damaged flag draped over his shoulders and “physically trying to get at the gathered group of juveniles, who appeared to be verbally taunting him.” Upon arrival, police say they found the homeowner’s wife attempting to hold the man back and block him from getting to the group.

In statements to police, the man said he had witnessed the girl remove the flag, which was displayed on his garage. 

He then caught up to the pair and according to police, he pushed the girl to the ground in an attempt to take back his property. 

The man allegedly told police that after pushing the girl over, “he then pushed her head into the ground as he took his flag back.” Police noted in the report that “as he described pushing [the female victim’s] head into the ground, he made a couple downward strike motions with his arm/hand.”

In conversations with the juveniles, police were told that the owner of the flag had rushed up from behind the pair and “knocked [the female] to the ground. 

“He then began beating on her while she was on the ground and yelling at them. [He] then took their skateboards and walked back to his residence with [the male’s] phone after they followed him back,” according to an incident report from Port Townsend police.

The girl allegedly admitted going onto the man’s property and stealing the flag, which had been damaged in the process.    

The boy also told police that the man had hit him in the nose during the altercation, after which he told police he called up two other friends to come to their aid. 

Officers noted that the boy “had blood on his arm and possibly an injured nose” and the girl “had blood on her clothing as well.” 

Documents provided by the Port Townsend Police Department contain redactions of the names and ages of the minors involved in this incident. According to officials with the Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, no charges have been filed yet as prosecutors have requested follow-up information from police.