Man pepper-sprayed his parents over drug money, police say
Published 1:30 am Friday, September 21, 2018
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — A man was booked into jail after allegedly pepper spraying his parents for drug money early Wednesday morning.
When a Mountlake Terrace police officer was called to a house a little after 2 a.m, the father answered the door with red, watery eyes and “significant nasal drainage,” according to a police report.
The officer noted he was a pepper spray instructor and that he could confirm right away that the father had taken a direct blast of pepper spray to the face.
The son reportedly went into his parents’ room late at night, holding up a canister of pepper spray and demanding $400 for drugs. If his parents didn’t give him the money, the son allegedly said he would spray them.
The parents refused.
The father took the brunt of the spray, while the mother caught some indirectly. The father said it was like his “face was on fire” and that he couldn’t see anything for more than 20 minutes, according to the report.
All three made their way downstairs to try and fix the situation, according to the report. First, they tried water. That “did nothing.” The son then tried splashing milk on his father before fleeing.
An officer showed up, but was told the son had left and apologized.
At 4 a.m., the father called the police again to report that his son was back and that police needed to “hurry up.”
When police returned, the three were yelling inside the master bedroom, according to the report. One person reportedly said, “They are going to break down the door if you don’t give up.”
No one came to the door, so police forced their way inside. The suspect allegedly said he was only showing his parents the large can of pepper spray and that it went off for less than a “half second.”
The police officer — the pepper spray instructor — reported that from what he could see in the bedroom, there was a lot more spray released than claimed. It was likely intentional, the officer concluded.
The son was booked into Snohomish County Jail for investigation of felony assault.
The officer said he knew the family from a previous assault case involving the son and father.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
