He suffered ‘permanent’ injuries while fleeing Lakewood robbery. Now he’s been sentenced

A man who was severely injured by a police vehicle after a crime spree that included robbing a Lakewood grocery store with his brother has been sentenced.

Errol Robert Comenout, 36, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempting to elude police, attempted first-degree robbery and two counts each of first-degree robbery and second-degree assault.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Jerry Costello sentenced him to 21 years, nine months in prison.

A police officer drove into Comenout as Comenout held a gun and tried to flee the robbery June 15, 2016, according to court records.

He was hospitalized for injuries to his legs, fled the hospital and later was arrested by U.S. Marshals, according to Lakewood police.

He was initially misidentified as Edward Amos Comenout, but fingerprints proved he was Errol, according to court records.

Defense attorney John Meske said Thursday that Comenout was remorseful and had taken responsibility for his actions.

“He did not want to put the victims through another trial,” Meske said.

Meske called the injuries to his client’s legs “permanent and severe.”

Comenout walked into court with a cane Tuesday, the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office said.

His brother, 29-year-old Lee Allen Comenout Jr., was sentenced to 28 years, nine months in prison last year by Judge Frank Cuthbertson.

A jury convicted him of second-degree assault, third-degree theft and three counts of first-degree robbery.

Court records give this account of the brothers’ heists:

They had bandanas over their faces when they stole a truck from a Tacoma man outside his home at gunpoint.

The truck owner handed over the keys when Errol Comenout pressed a gun to his torso.

Errol Comenout also pointed the gun at the truck owner’s son when he tried to follow them.

He pointed it at another driver who honked when the truck drove through an intersection and almost hit her.

Next Errol Comenout pointed the gun at the owners of Olympic Grocery at 12928 Bridgeport Way SW in Lakewood, where the brothers robbed the owners of cash, merchandise and cellphones, then fled in the stolen truck.

Someone in the parking lot called police when she saw the brothers enter the store with bandanas over their faces and noticed one of them jump over the counter.

Lakewood police quickly found and chased the stolen truck, which crashed into a vehicle carrying a family with a small child.

The brothers fled on foot, and a police dog caught Lee Comenout.

Errol Comenout pulled out the gun again and tried to carjack another vehicle at a gas station as he was surrounded by police, but that driver refused to give him the keys.

That’s when Comenout tried to flee again, and a patrol car pinned him against a cement block.

The Olympic Grocery owner wrote the court after the robbery that his son was traumatized by seeing both his parents held at gunpoint.

The robbers took cash, lottery tickets, cigarettes, cigars and cellphones, the owner said.

“Our store operates on a razor thin profit margin and for this to happen to us is a significant setback,” the man wrote. “Not only did they take all that but they also stole our sense of dignity, trust, and security.”

Lakewood police Sgt. Rich Hall also wrote the court ahead of sentencing.

“On this day anyone crossing paths with Lee and Errol were undoubtedly placed at risk,” Hall’s letter says. “They displayed no regard for those they encountered.”

This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 10:22 AM.