He pushed his boss off a ladder and pulled a gun. But officers arrived when they reached the bank, prosecutors say

A wage dispute at a Tacoma work site escalated quickly Wednesday when the aggrieved party knocked his boss off a ladder, then pulled a gun on him and ordered him to go to a bank, Pierce County prosecutors say.

But the assailant allowed the victim to drive his own car to the bank, so he called 911 and told dispatchers what was going on. By the time the pair arrived at Sixth Avenue and Union Avenue, Tacoma police were there and arrested the suspect, according to court documents.

The 31-year-old Federal Way man was arraigned Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court on charges of attempted first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and felony harassment. His bail was set at $50,000.

According to charging documents:

The assailant arrived at a home he was being paid to help remodel in Tacoma’s North End. Well, he was supposed to be getting paid for it, at least.

He confronted the man leading the renovations, who was working atop a ladder, and said he wanted the money he was owed. The renovation manager admitted he owed the man some money, but he didn’t know how far behind he was on payments and didn’t have enough cash on hand to settle the debt anyway.

So the assailant knocked the man off the ladder and started a fight. The victim eventually got the assailant into a headlock, but then the assailant jammed a handgun into his ribcage and threatened to shoot him. The victim let go.

The victim agreed to go to a bank and get the assailant his money, but the two traveled in separate cars, the assailant following along. This let the victim call 911 and tell dispatchers what had happened and where they were headed.

Officers caught up to the pair as the victim approached the bank, and the assailant’s car pulled off on a side street, where he was stopped and arrested. The man who was driving him did not know anything about a crime and was not charged.

The assailant told officers he didn’t have a gun and didn’t threaten his boss, but the victim’s story was corroborated by multiple witnesses. A red mark the size of a gun barrel was still visible on the victim’s ribcage.

Officers were not able to find a handgun in the car, though they did find ammunition inside a safe as well as heroin paraphernalia. The assailant has been legally barred from possessing firearms.

This story was originally published August 23, 2018 at 3:11 PM.