Tacoma man forced woman into his sedan after firing at group of people, charges say
A Tacoma man is accused of forcing a woman into his vehicle at gunpoint after he fired shots at a group of people.
The 46-year-old man was charged with four counts of first-degree assault and unlawful imprisonment for the Aug. 13 shooting on South Hosmer Street.
A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf at an arraignment Thursday. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Philip Thornton set the man’s bail at $100,000, court records show.
Charging details
Tacoma police officers were dispatched at 11:08 p.m. Aug. 13 to the 2000 block of South 96th Street for reports of shots fired. Several people outside the Smoke and Beer Mini Mart pointed to a black Lexus sedan that was facing north on South Hosmer Street, according to charging documents.
The 911 call reported that the suspect was driving the sedan. Officers initiated a traffic stop and activated their emergency lights and sirens. The sedan began to slowly drive in the 9400 block of South Hosmer Street. A black object, later identified as a handgun, was thrown out the passenger window, prosecutors wrote.
Officers initiated a high-risk traffic stop, and a woman got out of the passenger seat once the sedan stopped. The woman appeared to be in distress, prosecutors wrote. She got away from the sedan and went to the patrol car.
The driver was detained and refused to identify himself. Officers learned of his identity through his driver’s license photo. Officers also retrieved the semiautomatic handgun that was tossed aside.
Police learned from the woman that she was standing just south of a group of people when the man allegedly began shooting at them from his car. Everyone began to run, but she was unable to because of medical conditions. The driver approached her after he got out of the sedan and pointed the gun at her, prosecutors wrote.
He allegedly directed the woman to get into his sedan, and her boyfriend started to confront him. The man pointed the gun at her boyfriend and told the woman that he would shoot him if she did not get into his sedan. The woman entered the sedan and sat on the passenger seat. The woman said she feared for her life, prosecutors wrote.
The gunman drove north on South Hosmer just as officers arrived. He put the handgun on her lap and told her to hold onto it. The woman believed they were going to be in “a high speed chase” and tossed the handgun out of the sedan. She then exited with her hands up and ran when the sedan stopped, documents show.
Three people in the group were interviewed by officers, prosecutors wrote. All three said they were standing together on the sidewalk when the man pulled up. He asked them to get into his vehicle, and the three of them refused. After several attempts to get them into the sedan, he became irate and allegedly fired the gun at them.
The three people said they were standing 10 feet away when he was firing. They thought he fired at least two rounds at them, prosecutors wrote.
Prosecutors wrote that it is not clear if the man has any prior convictions that would prohibit him from owning or possessing a firearm. If there are, an additional unlawful possession of a firearm charged will be filed.
