Charges: Minivan passenger suspected of firing automatic weapon at Bonney Lake officer
A minivan passenger suspected of firing an automatic weapon at a Bonney Lake officer has been charged with second-degree assault and drive-by shooting.
The 24-year-old man pleaded not guilty at arraignment Tuesday.
Charging papers and police made these allegations about what happened:
The officer was behind the minivan at an intersection Sunday, and, when the light turned green, the van accelerated. The officer looked at his computer, and as he looked up again he saw flashes from the passenger side of the van and heard popping noises.
“It was apparent to the officer, who had extensive police and military-based firearms training, that the sound was of automatic gunfire,” the declaration for determination of probable cause said. “The officer took evasive measures believing he was being shot at.”
Then the officer tried to stop the van, and, when it pulled over, the suspect fled from the passenger side of the vehicle, jumped over the railing of a bridge and ran into the woods.
The woman driving the van allegedly seemed intoxicated and “declined to speak with officers other than to complain that they had been mean to her when she was not the one shooting,” the probable cause statement said.
A police dog searched for the suspect for about 45 minutes and found him at apartments in the area. Officers found various clothing that he appeared to have lost or discarded along the way, and, when they found him, his pants and socks were soaked and he had scratches on his chest — apparently from running through brush.
Investigators found a stolen Glock 17 9 mm near the van and 21 casings in the area.
“This significant number of casings is consistent with the officer’s opinion that the gunfire was from an automatic weapon, indicating that the Glock 17 had been modified,” the probable cause statement said. “It should be noted that the officer’s patrol car was not struck nor was there noted damage to the pavement in the area where his patrol car had been when the shooting occurred.”
