One of two men who led police on a cross-county chase that choked traffic, terrified shoppers and ended in gunfire pleaded guilty Friday to second-degree robbery and attempting to elude a police officer.
Eric Merlan Johnson II, 24, of Seattle, admitted a part in the crime spree that virtually closed down a large part of Snohomish County July 20 during Friday evening rush hour.
A second man, Stewart Allan Compher, 31, of Everett, remains charged with two counts of first-degree robbery, attempted first-degree robbery, second-degree assault and attempting to elude a police car.
Johnson, who doesn’t have previous criminal convictions, is scheduled for sentencing Oct. 30 by Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Kenneth Cowsert. Prosecutors and defense attorney Tom Cox of Mill Creek have agreed to recommend a four-year prison sentence for Johnson.
One shot was fired outside the Everett mall after Compher allegedly stole a truck at gunpoint, according to court documents. As the vehicle was driving away, an officer shot at it.
Prosecutors allege that Compher continued his escape and wound up being chased by police to a Fred Meyer store on 132nd Street SE. As in the mall, police said that Compher ran through the store carrying a pistol, frightening shoppers
before running out to the back loading dock area.
“It was there that an Everett police sergeant, finally having a safe backdrop beyond the suspect and no other civilians nearby, shot the suspect before he could escape into the residential area,” wrote Mark Roe, deputy prosecutor who reviewed the police investigation.
The shootings were investigated by a multi-agency police task force brought in to probe major incidents involving police officers. The officers “appear to have carried out their duties capably, professionally and lawfully,” Roe said in a letter to the investigators.
According to Roe, the defendants “engaged in a rolling, running and gun-toting crime spree beginning in north Snohomish County and finally being brought to a halt in Everett.”
During the lengthy chase, there were numerous accidents in the rush-hour traffic and cars were lined up on roadways for miles.
“A helicopter and seemingly half the uniformed law enforcement personnel in the county eventually became involved in trying to put a stop to the suspects’ activities before someone was hurt or killed,” Roe said.
If convicted, Compher faces a sentence that could put him behind bars for decades.
The crime spree started with a car prowl in Lake Stevens followed by a high-speed pursuit to the U.S. 2 trestle. That’s where the fleeing men’s truck stalled and a woman’s car was taken at gunpoint.
Shoppers at the Everett Mall panicked when two armed men ran through, chased by police.
Johnson was arrested at the mall. Prosecutors said it was Compher who fled the mall, stole the pickup and raced to the Fred Meyer store.
According to documents, Compher held a loaded pistol with a bullet in the chamber when he was shot and wounded. Compher was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where he was treated for wounds that were not life threatening.
Compher, who has five previous felony convictions including burglary, reportedly told police he ran because he was scared, court documents said.
Johnson reportedly said he originally fled because he didn’t want to get caught driving with a suspended license.
Driving with a suspended license is a misdemeanor.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or jhaley@heraldnet.com
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