Man Arrested for Stabbing at Centralia McDonald’s to Get Mental Health Evaluation

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A man accused in a stabbing Tuesday at McDonald’s in Centralia is being held without bail overnight as prosecutors plan to file a motion ordering a mental health evaluation.

Calvin J. Beck, 50, of Olympia, was charged Wednesday in Lewis County Superior Court with one count of first-degree assault.

Defense attorney Joely O’Rourke, representing Beck at his first appearance Wednesday afternoon, requested the hearing be put off until the following morning, noting suspicions that her client was not competent to aid in his defense.

“After speaking to Mr. Beck, I don’t believe he understands the proceedings,” O’Rourke said.

The hearing was continued to 8:40 a.m. Thursday.

At 12:10 p.m. Tuesday, Beck reportedly entered the McDonald’s restaurant in the 1200 block of Lum Road in Centralia and was verbally abusive toward employees working at the counter, according to the Centralia Police Department.

Two customers intervened, one of whom told the suspect he should leave.

Beck did leave, according to the Centralia Police Department, but came back a short time later and stabbed one of the customers who had confronted him, described as a white male in his 50s, with a 4-inch pocket knife.

The suspect allegedly stabbed the man twice in the abdomen before several other customers jumped on the suspect and disarmed him.

The man who was stabbed twice in the abdomen had a hand in the capture of his assailant, according to the Centralia Police Department.

“He was still holding the (suspect) down when we got there,” said Detective Sgt. Carl Buster, of the Centralia Police Department.

The victim is being treated for his injuries at Providence Centralia Hospital. Buster said the man was “conscious and alert” when officers arrived and was in surgery Tuesday afternoon.

Beck was also transported to the hospital after reportedly crashing into a window during the fight.

Beck was reportedly acting erratically during his arrest. He was previously convicted of second-degree assault in 1991, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.