Snohomish County Sheriff's deputies arrested two men in connection to the attack of a 38-year-old man who was found beaten and shot in a building on Florence Acres Road in Monroe on Friday, Sept. 18. A sheriff's deputy sustained minor injuries during the course of the arrest, when he was dragged by a vehicle as one of the suspects attempted to elude deputies.
Three male suspects remain at large.
According to police documents, the victim of the Sept. 18 attack suffered a badly fractured skull and was shot in the groin. He was transported to Providence Medical Center in Everett for emergency treatment and was placed on life support. He has not regained consciousness.
The sheriff's office deployed detectives from the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) to investigate the incident. The men were arrested in Mountlake Terrace on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and are being held in Snohomish County Jail on suspicion of assault, burglary and robbery ' all in the first degree.
Deputies are still searching for the remaining suspects, who were last seen driving what is believed to be a 1991 cream-colored Buick Regal, with a Washington license plate: 067ZGI. The vehicle was last seen traveling westbound on 236th Street in Mountlake Terrace.
According to police documents, the property where the victim was found is known to deputies as being associated with illegal activities related to drugs and stolen automobiles. Deputies told MCU detectives the property is known for "illicit narcotics and frequent issues requiring responses from the sheriff's office.GÇ¥ The victim was located at a metal shop detached from the main residence on the 24000 block of Florence Acres Road.
Deputies later confirmed that the victim was known to reside there.
MCU detectives identified and interviewed a male and a female witness who were at the scene during the attack. According to police documents, both witnesses have criminal histories. The witnesses gave matching accounts of the incident, stating that were in the shop in an upstairs apartment with the victim when they a heard loud banging on the shop door downstairs.
The male witness said that as the victim went downstairs and answered the door, he glimpsed three masked men entering the shop.
According to police documents, the witnesses said they remained upstairs out of "fear of imminent danger.GÇ¥ The female witness told detectives she heard a "yelpingGÇ¥ sound, which she believed to be the victim being assaulted. Shortly after the "distress sounds,GÇ¥ an armed male came upstairs into the apartment and ordered both witnesses to the ground.
He had a bandana over his face and allegedly pointed a pistol at the witnesses, demanding their cellular devices and illicit narcotics. The witnesses stated that masked gunman took three backpacks from the apartment, including one owned by the male witness.
Shortly after that, the witnesses stated that a second, unmasked suspect entered the apartment area. The female witness recognized the individual as a "former acquaintance.GÇ¥ She told investigators the man entered the room, took another backpack and left. The suspects left in their own vehicle and also took the victim's vehicle.
Once the suspects were outside, the witnesses found the victim unresponsive. The male witness looked out the door of the shop, drawing gunfire as the suspects drove away. The witnesses ran to a neighbor's residence to contact first responders.
The 33-year-old unmasked suspect was apprehended at his home in Mountlake Terrace with a 49-year-old roommate. According to police documents, the 33-year-old suspect told MCU detectives that he and four co-conspirators, including the roommate, traveled to Monroe to settle an issue over stolen property on Sept. 18. When they arrived at the property, the suspect said one of the co-conspirators used a "stick, pipe or batGÇ¥ to assault the victim's head and body.
According to police documents, the 49-year-old suspect told police that "the sound of the bat striking the victim's head was the most "horrible' sound he had ever heard,GÇ¥ and was choked with emotion while describing the incident. The co-conspirator who was observed attacking the victim was identified as the "primary aggressorGÇ¥ during the incident, and is the one who removed several backpacks from the upstairs apartment.
Neither the witnesses nor the suspects were clear as to how or when the victim sustained the gunshot wound to the groin. The 49-year-old suspect confirmed one witness' account that one of the suspects fired a warning shot as they left the premises, when the witness peered around the shop doorway.
The 49-year-old suspect alleged that the person who used the gun was also the primary aggressor during the incident. He also told detectives it was the primary aggressor who left the premises in the victim's vehicle.
Police are actively investigating the incident. Anyone with any information regarding this incident is asked to call 911 immediately.
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