Tri-Cities man launches wine bottles at Circle K shoppers. Police officer, customer hurt

A police officer and a convenience store customer were injured Thursday night after a man started throwing wine bottles inside a Kennewick store.

The suspect, Jonathon Jaite, 37, of Richland, went into the Circle K at Steptoe Street and Gage Boulevard about 11:40 a.m. and began tossing the bottles at customers, according to Kennewick police.

When officers arrived, they confronted him outside the store.

Jaite responded by hitting the front windows of the store with a fire extinguisher, according to police.

Officers tased him, but it did not slow him down. Jaite charged the officers and punched one of them as they took him into custody, according to police reports.

The officer was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries. No information was immediately available about the customer who was injured inside the store.

Jaite is being held in the Benton County jail on suspicion of two counts of second-degree assault, third-degree assault and first-degree malicious mischief.