Marysville man beaten, told he would die

Published 10:12 pm Thursday, April 30, 2009

MARYSVILLE — A Marysville man was beaten with a rifle butt, placed in handcuffs and told he was going to be taken up the Mountain Loop Highway so his attackers could finish what they started, according to a police report.

On Monday night, the man, 21, ran into an acquaintance in a Wal-Mart parking lot. He was invited to hang out at another friend’s home, an RV parked in a yard in the 7800 block of 59th Avenue NE, a court document said.

Once inside the RV, the man began to feel uneasy, the document said. He didn’t know everyone there and the man who lived in the RV started “messing around with a rifle.”

When the man got up to leave, he was thrown down and punched in the face. The 24-year-old man who lived in the RV, allegedly started beating the man with a rifle butt.

Two teenage boys, both 17, joined in the attack, police said. Two girls, 18 and 16, also were in the RV, Marysville police Sgt. Deryck McLeod said.

One person photographed the assault with a cell phone, the court document said.

The victim was ordered to empty his pockets.

“They took his wallet and it had no cash in it,” McLeod said.

The victim allegedly was told he’d be killed if he talked to the police and was ordered to put on handcuffs.

The victim was ordered to walk to a van where he was told he’d be driven to the Mountain Loop Highway. One of the men beating him up reportedly said they intended to “finish what they started,” the court document said.

The victim managed to run off. He suffered a black eye, several bruises and marks on his back, face and head, the document said.

Police arrested the five people suspected in the assault, McLeod said. They all said the victim owed $300 from the past summer.

The two girls were released. The two boys were sent to Denney Juvenile Justice Center for investigation of first-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment and first-degree robbery, McLeod said.

The man who lived in the RV is a convicted felon. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment and first-degree robbery and felon in possession of a firearm.

A judge ordered him held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com