Two men charged in drive-by shooting at Lynnwood party

Published 11:01 pm Thursday, March 19, 2009

LYNNWOOD — An exchange of gunfire outside a Lynnwood house party in August led to felony charges Thursday for two men.

Darius Palicte Sanidad, 20, of Shoreline, is charged with drive-by shooting for allegedly opening fire with a shotgun pointed out of a car. Sopheun Say, 28, of Tacoma, is accused of possessing a stolen .45-caliber handgun, and using it to return fire.

The gunfire broke out Aug. 10 while about 30 relatives were celebrating a child’s first birthday. Sanidad and friends arrived without an invitation, created problems, and were asked to leave, Snohomish County deputy prosecutor Janice Albert said in Superior Court papers.

Sanidad later returned in a car carrying friends and a shotgun.

Words were exchanged. Police were called.

“Sanidad pointed a shotgun out the driver’s window. Shots rang out,” Albert wrote. “Testimony differs about who shot first.”

Police later recovered a spent 12-gauge shotgun shell and nine .45-caliber shell casings. They also found a .40-caliber shell casing at the scene.

That bullet was fired by a Lynnwood police officer, who rolled up as the gun battle was concluding. He fired after Say allegedly pointed the handgun his way, Albert said.

A police dog later tracked down the gunman.

Sanidad was arrested after he was taken to an area hospital for treatment of a bump on his head that police believe happened when the car he was riding in crashed about a mile from the house party.