Pierce County deputies arrested a 24-year-old man after a reported shooting on the evening of May 26 in Puyallup's South Hill, capping a chaotic scene that had neighbors hearing gunfire and watching people scatter. Surveillance video appears to show a suspect firing toward a group before taking off on foot. Deputies say he eventually tried to hide in tall grass near a retention pond.
Deputies Say K9s Tracked Suspect And Recovered Gun
According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, deputies responded to what they describe as a large domestic altercation in the street in the 9200 block of 148th St. Ct. E. Surveillance footage cited in the post appears to show the suspect firing shots toward a group during the dispute.
Deputies say K9 Coda picked up the trail and led them to tall grass near a retention pond, where they found the suspect hiding, arrested him, and booked him into the Pierce County Jail. The Sheriff's Office reports he faces five counts of assault in the first degree, a first-degree kidnapping charge for allegedly preventing his girlfriend from leaving, and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree. A second dog, K9 Clark, is credited with finding the firearm in bushes near a neighborhood park after about 30 minutes of searching.
K9 Teams And The Search
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office routinely deploys K9 teams to track fleeing suspects and recover evidence, and the department's blotter has detailed similar deployments in prior cases. In this incident, deputies credited K9 Coda with the initial track to the suspect and K9 Clark with locating the firearm. The Sheriff's Office highlighted that tag-team response in its post, noting the dogs helped officers lock down the area and take the suspect into custody without any further reported injuries.
What The Charges Mean
The charges reported, which are first-degree assault, first-degree kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree, are all felony offenses under Washington law that carry significant penalties. Assault in the first degree applies to conduct intended to inflict great bodily harm, while kidnapping in the first degree involves intentional abduction with aggravating factors. Unlawful firearm possession can be charged when a person is legally disqualified from having a gun. Those elements and penalties are set out in the Revised Code of Washington.
Sheriff Praises Deputies And K9s
The Sheriff's Office praised the deputies and both K9 teams in its social media post and released video of the search and arrest. The post includes both surveillance and body-camera footage and publicly thanks the deputies and canine handlers for their work, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office.
