Days after armed robbery, Centralia man allegedly threatened to kill group with machete 

A Centralia man faces four felony charges with more on the way after he allegedly threatened to kill a group of people with a machete less than 48 hours after an armed robbery attempt. 

According to police, Clinton G. Duncan, 51, wielded a yellow PepperBall launcher in both incidents. Centralia police booked him into the Lewis County Jail at about 2:30 a.m. Sunday.

Duncan made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday. He’s charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon, two counts of felony harassment and one count of unlawful display of a weapon, a gross misdemeanor. 

Senior Deputy Prosecutor Scott Jackson said Duncan had also been booked on the separate robbery case. Duncan had not yet been charged in that case as of Monday. 

Judge Joely Yeager set bail at $100,000 cash or bond, in agreement with Jackson’s request. 

According to a probable cause affidavit, police responded to the reported harassment near the corner of North Tower Avenue and East Main Street at about 1:47 a.m. Sunday. They found Duncan hiding in a bush with a machete and a PepperBall launcher tucked in his waistband.

An officer spoke with two of the alleged victims, who said they’d been standing at the corner when an unknown man yelled at them and asked if they wanted to fight. 

The victims said the group told the man to “chill out.” The man allegedly crossed the street and revealed a machete, saying, "I'll cut your head off." 

As one of the victims called 911, the man allegedly pointed what looked to be a yellow gun at two men in the group and threatened to shoot them. 

According to the affidavit, the two men “did not want to identify themselves” to police.

Duncan’s arrest led to a break in the investigation of an attempted robbery that had occurred at a convenience store in the 2300 block of North Pearl Street at about 5 a.m. on Sept. 25.

According to a Monday news release from the Centralia Police Department, investigators “immediately recognized” the PepperBall launcher found on Duncan, as the weapon had also been used during the attempted robbery. Duncan’s appearance and clothing style also appeared to be consistent with those of the suspect captured on the store’s security footage. 

Witness descriptions of the suspect were also consistent with Duncan’s appearance. 

Detectives executed a search warrant at Duncan's residence and reportedly found clothing and accessories believed to have been worn by the robbery suspect. 

On Monday, detectives obtained further security footage allegedly showing Duncan walking through an adjacent property after the failed robbery attempt.
According to the news release, the convenience store employee had refused to give the masked suspect a “money bag,” even after he repeatedly pointed the weapon at the employee and “forcibly directed” her behind the counter.

The suspect ultimately fled without any money or stolen items. A police K9 attempted to track the suspect’s path, but lost the trail. 

Duncan is scheduled for an arraignment on Thursday for the harassment case while he awaits possible charges in the robbery case. 

In its release, the Centralia Police Department said Duncan was booked into the Lewis County Jail on Monday for alleged first-degree robbery.