Woman shot at, sprayed with bear repellent during Puyallup break-in
A Puyallup woman was shot at, sprayed with bear repellent and forced to lock herself in a bathroom while two men ransacked her home.
Police believe a friend who had recently moved out of the home she shared with her boyfriend was partially to blame.
On Wednesday, the 28-year-old friend pleaded not guilty to first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.
He was ordered jailed in lieu of $300,000 bail.
Charging papers give this account:
The woman and her boyfriend were in the bathroom Tuesday morning when they heard someone yelling “police” and kicking down their front door.
The woman walked into the hall to see what was happening, and one of the two suspects fired a round at her feet. The other then sprayed her with bear spray.
She was able to lock herself in the bathroom before the men tried to force their way in.
After the two suspects ransacked the home and stole cash and the couple’s Lexus, the victims were able to call 911.
Officers found a bullet hole in the floor and the smell of bear spray in the air.
It wasn’t long before the stolen Lexus was found and the couple was able to identify their friend from a surveillance video showing a man walking away from the car.
The friend’s hat was allegedly inside the Lexus, and when the victim confronted him about it, “The defendant said, ‘How dare you accuse me of having anything to do with that,’ ” records show.
The friend had lived with the couple for a week or so but recently moved out.
He’d stopped by the morning of the robbery, but the couple asked him to come back later.
The break-in happened 20 minutes after that.
Neighbors said they saw two men near the victims’ fence shortly before the break-in.
The friend, believed to be an accomplice, was taken into custody near his grandmother’s home. The two men suspected or breaking into the house have not been identified.
Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653
This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Woman shot at, sprayed with bear repellent during Puyallup break-in."