TACOMA, Wash. - Police have arrested a man accused of trying to break into a Tacoma home earlier this month while the residents slept.
On May 12 just before midnight, a man woke up to a loud thud that sounded like it was coming from his roof. When he went to check it out, he saw someone trying to break into his home from the fourth-floor balcony.
The homeowner confronted the would-be burglar, and a fight broke out. The homeowner punched the suspect several times and the suspect got a few swipes of the knife on the homeowner. The homeowner was not seriously hurt.
The suspect dropped from the fourth-floor balcony onto the third-floor balcony, then jumped to the ground from there. He was apparently armed with two knives and possibly scissors.
The suspect ran off and then got in his vehicle and drove off. The homeowner chased the suspect in his vehicle for a bit before losing sight of him. He returned home to call 911.
He told responding law enforcement that he didn't recognize the person.
When detectives later released a Crime Stoppers bulletin about the crime, a family member of the suspect identified him to police. The family member said that he had just gotten out of the hospital and didn't know where he was. The relative also told detectives that the suspect had bipolar disorder and that his mental health had been declining.
The suspect was arrested and taken into custody without incident on May 26.
He has been identified as 33-year-old Adam Groetsch.
Groetsch is being held in the Pierce County Jail on first-degree attempted burglary and second-degree assault charges.
Bail has been set at $75,000.