SULTAN — The young man was found bloodied and bewildered, standing on Mann Road near U.S. 2 in blue boxer shorts and a green T-shirt on a mid-December night.
A passerby gave him a blanket and stayed with him until police and an ambulance arrived.
In broken English, the injured man told him that some people were after him with a gun.
He’d been shot multiple times in the face and dumped in some brambles near the river in Sultan. An aid crew took him to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
The man, 28, later told detectives he pretended to be dead while his captors threw dirt on him.
He explained that he had made arrangements to buy a used BMW for $3,500, but was robbed and shot in Snohomish instead. The men, he said, took his clothes, cellphone, wallet and identification.
Detectives are continuing to investigate the Dec. 15 attack, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Shari Ireton said. No arrests have been made.
One of the suspects goes by the street name “Grandma,” according to a search warrant.
The case is being investigated as an attempted murder and kidnapping.
The victim had approached the suspect about buying a car. When he earned enough money, the carpet installer made arrangements to pay him and get the title to the car.
They met at a gas station in Snohomish. The victim told detectives he began driving the car with the seller in the passenger seat and another man in the backseat. He noticed the other man had a gun.
At some point, he felt threatened. He said he grabbed for the gun and was shot in the face and forehead.
Detectives believe he was able to escape from the car in the 8400 block of Ludwig Road in Snohomish before he was pistol whipped and dragged back into the car. He said his sweatshirt was pulled over his face during the drive to Sultan.
At that point, he didn’t resist, pretending to be dead.
Once in Sultan, the attackers rolled the man into some bushes. He said he could hear a second car drive up and someone urge the men to hurry up.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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