Rioters block road, set fires outside Thurston County Jail

TUMWATER, Wash. — An unruly group of 40 to 50 people wreaked havoc outside the Thurston County Jail in Tumwater Thursday night, prompting a response from deputies and police officers.

The rioters set off fireworks, blocked the road, pulled small trees out of the ground, and lit grass around the jail on fire, according to Thurston County deputies.

Deputies and officers from Tumwater and Olympia arrived and began preparing less-lethal devices to break up the crowd. That’s when the rioters ran away, leaving behind a sign that said, “FIRE TO THE PRISONS, EVERYONE GOES FREE.”

“For the record, Thurston County Jail is actually a jail, not a prison. It says “JAIL” on the front of the building,” the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post.

An arson investigation is in progress.

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