Turns out a Tacoma man wasn’t trying to scare the neighbor girl back into her house when he fired a shot into the air early Thursday.
Instead, David Quinn Price, 57, fired his gun to frighten off two teenage boys hanging around outside the girl’s house, court records show. Price later told police he thought the boys were prowlers, but he was the one charged with a crime: two counts of second-degree assault.
He pleaded not guilty Friday and was released on his own recognizance.
Court papers give the following account:
The teenagers had been corresponding online with two girls they know when they all decided to sneak out and rendezvous at a nearby school.
When the girls didn’t show, the boys decided to walk to one of their homes to see what was up.
Price, who lives nearby, saw them and asked them what they were doing in the neighborhood. The teenagers told him they were waiting for a friend.
Price accused them of prowling, pulled out a gun and fired a shot into the air. He then pointed the pistol at them and said something akin to, “I’ll take your knees out.”
The boys ran off and called 911.
Price allegedly told responding police, “They don’t belong in my neighborhood,” before invoking his right to remain silent.
Officers removed a .380-caliber Sig Sauer pistol and a black folding knife from Price’s pocket before arresting him, court records show.
Police originally reported that Price fired the shot when he saw the girl trying to sneak outside. The court documents make no mention of that.
adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com
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blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
@TNTadam
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