Teen who fired gun at guard during brazen Tacoma pot-shop burglary sentenced to prison
An 18-year-old man who exchanged gunfire with a security guard during the brazen burglary of a Tacoma cannabis store has been sentenced to prison.
Antonio Jesus Benavides pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree assault, first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle in the Oct. 28, 2022, robbery of Zips Cannabis, 2611 Pacific Ave. Benavides was 17 at the time but was prosecuted as an adult.
Pierce County Superior Court Judge Garold Johnson sentenced Benavides to 12 years in state prison.
In his plea paperwork, the defendant admitted arriving at the shop in a stolen car, which was used to ram the front doors, giving as many as six thieves access to the inside. The shop was closed at the time. A nearby security guard confronted the thieves, court records show, and Benavides pulled a pistol from an ankle holster.
“When a security guard appeared, we exchanged gunfire,” Benavides wrote in his plea document. “I fired several shots toward the security guard and was struck by a round fired by him.”
The guard was not hit. The extent of Benavides’ injuries was not reported in court records, but prosecutors wrote that a surveillance camera showed him limping away from the scene.
Multiple surveillance cameras captured the incident, and video evidence was used to help identify Benavides, court records show.
Two co-defendants remain jailed pending trial.
