A typical Tuesday morning for 42-year-old Michael Di Marzo quickly became a citywide multi-jurisdictional manhunt for him and what witnesses thought was a assault rifle in his hand.
Three schools were locked down and delayed as police scoured the area by ground and air, looking for a man described by a teenage tipster as wearing black clothes and a ski mask.
It wasn’t realized until hours later what was believed to be something along the lines of an AR-15 or AK-47 was more of a AU-15: a 15-inch compact “assault umbrella.”
The “ski mask” was a pulled-up black turtle neck sweater paired with a black watch cap.
But don't worry, your kids are safe:
Schools choose to go on lockdown based on the suggestion of officers.
“Typically, we take our cues from law enforcement in these situations,” said Olympia School District spokesperson Rebecca Japhet. “Police officers are in the best position to know exactly what’s happening in and around the area, and we follow them in what they would recommend to best keep our students safe.”
Uh huh.