His 2nd home looked lived in so he waited to see why. Then he was kidnapped and shot
A home invasion shooting in Lakebay that led to a high-speed pursuit into Gig Harbor last week appears to be a case of mistaken identity.
Two men, both 49, pleaded not guilty Monday with two counts of first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping, first-degree burglary, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
One is being held on $1 million bail. The other was ordered jailed in lieu of $750,000 bail.
The victim, who was shot in the leg and suffered a head wound, is expected to survive.
Charging papers give this account:
The victim owns two houses and only periodically checked on the one on 27th Street NW in Lakebay.
When he went there recently, he found a “Keep Out” signed posted on his fence and discovered several tools missing from the property.
The homeowner reported them stolen and returned hom, but came back to his second house days later and found the gate open.
That’s when he and a friend decided to stay at that home for a few days in hopes of catching whomever was trespassing.
On Friday, someone in a van showed up and tried to run over the homeowner after he started recording the intruder with a camera.
The suspect fled before Pierce County sheriff’s deputies arrived.
Later that night, the homeowner awoke to find two armed men standing above him asking where “Larry” was.
The homeowner told him he did not know Larry, but they insisted he and his friend come with them to a Cadillac Escalade parked outside.
The victim’s friend was able to run away when they walked outside.
Although one of the suspects shot at the friend, he escaped uninjured.
When the victim questioned why he had to get in the SUV, one of the suspects allegedly shot him in the leg.
While the two suspects talked, the victim then ran because he feared they would “shoot him dead,” records say.
The victim hid in the woods for a while, sneaked back to his home to call 911 and drove to a neighbor’s house for help.
Deputies found him lying in the driveway covered in a blanket.
The victim’s friend was found nearby, uninjured.
A short while later, deputies spotted an Escalade on state Route 302 and tried to pull it over, but the driver sped off.
The pursuit ended near Forest Grove Apartments in Gig Harbor after deputies deliberately popped the SUV’s tires.
Both suspects fled on foot, and a deputy fired a single shot.
No one was hit.
One suspect was found 20 feet away hiding in sticker bushes. The other was found hours later by a K-9, also hiding in sticker bushes.
The second suspect told deputies he was homeless, intoxicated and trying to catch some sleep in the woods, records say.
Methamphetamine was allegedly found in his pocket.
A search of the Escalade uncovered ammunition, and construction flaggers later found a rifle on the side of the road where the pursuit occurred.
Both suspects are felons and prohibited from having weapons.
This story was originally published November 26, 2019 at 11:00 AM.
