EVERETT — One of the suspects in Friday’s crime spree that ended in gunfire outside two busy Snohomish County shopping centers told police it all started because he didn’t want to go to jail over a misdemeanor driving violation.
Eric M. Johnson, 24, of Seattle, was arrested outside the Everett Mall after he and another man allegedly stole a car at gunpoint on the U.S. 2 trestle and led police on wild chase through Everett. The chase included the suspects running through the mall, trying to elude police. The man told detectives he has a suspended license, is living out of his truck, unemployed and is a drug user, according to a police affidavit.
The man appeared in court on Sunday and was expected to appear again later today. He was arrested for investigation of first-degree robbery and eluding police, both felonies. He is being held on $250,000 bail.
His partner, 31, of Everett, remains at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. He was shot multiple times after he allegedly carjacked a second vehicle at the Everett Mall, led police on a high speed chase and ran through a crowded Fred Meyer on Bothell-Everett Highway. Police found a gun nearby, investigators said.
The men were looking for money when they broke into a truck in Lake Stevens earlier in the day, according to court records. They raced off when a witness spotted them. They later outran Lake Stevens police officers, driving up to 100 mph and heading into oncoming traffic, police said. The men raced across the trestle, where they had car trouble and crashed.
Johnson told police he peered over the railing and was going to jump but decided it was too far a drop. Instead, the men allegedly stole a car from a woman after threatening her at gunpoint.
The woman told police both men were armed with handguns, according to court records.
A sheriff’s deputy spotted the stolen car in south Everett. The men led police on another high-speed pursuit. They drove to the Everett Mall, where they bailed out of the car and ran through the mall. Witnesses told police the men had handguns, according to court records. One witness who followed one of the suspects reported that the man pointed a gun at him and told him to back off.
The men attempted to carjack a van, knocking on the windows with guns and demanding the driver stop. The man drove off. A sheriff’s deputy tried to stop one of the men and fired a single shot.
The other suspect drove to the Fred Meyer store on 132nd Street SE, where he crashed the truck and ran inside. He was shot after being confronted by an Everett police sergeant. A handgun was recovered at the scene, according to police.
Johnson was arrested in the mall parking lot. He denied carrying a gun, according to court records
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