By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
A Tacoma woman is jailed after she reportedly used pepper spray to break up a brawl between her grown son and another man outside the Centralia Outlets yesterday afternoon then chased the subject, spraying him and two children who were with him.
Police and aid were called about 3:15 p.m. to the shopping center on the 100 block of West High Street. Tamala J. Summerhill, 53, was arrested, according to the Centralia Police Department.
“Spraying the guys to break up a fight is one thing,” Sgt. Kurt Reichert said. “But chasing him across the parking lot is a whole different ball of wax.”
As to why she used the streaming pepper spray on two boys, ages 8 and 9, she had no explanation, according to Reichert. She was arrested for two counts of third-degree child assault, he said.
It began with an exchange of words between the two males as they stood in line inside one of the stores and the 22-year-old son picking a fight when they got outside, according to police.
“The victim gets the suspect down, the female whips out the pepper spray,” Reichert said.
The 38-year-old Tumwater man got up and ran to his vehicle; she follows, he said. He and the boys were standing outside the vehicle when she let go with more pepper spray, according to Reichert.
Medics treated the patients, none were hospitalized.
Jesse E. Summerhill, 22, also of Tacoma, was arrested for misdemeanor assault, his mother was booked for the felony assaults, according to Reichert.