LYNNWOOD — A Blaine man accused of shooting at Lynnwood police officers while briefly kidnapping a woman was sentenced last week to over 28 years in prison.
On July 5, 2022, a Lynnwood officer was on a routine patrol at the Pick-n-Pull in the 18300 block of Highway 99, according to charging papers. The officer ran the temporary license plate on a Jaguar parked there. He found the car was linked to Lane Phipps, who had a warrant out for his arrest in connection with an alleged shooting in Whatcom County.
The officer called for backup, according to the charges. Two officers and a sergeant searched the Pick-n-Pull property for Phipps, now 28.
One of the officers found Phipps with a woman. Another cop yelled for Phipps to stop running. Motioning to a bag he was wearing across his chest, Phipps yelled he’d shoot them, prosecutors allege.
An officer told Phipps to show his hands, according to court papers.
“What are you going to do, shoot me?” Phipps reportedly responded.
The defendant ran between cars with a gun in his hand, according to court documents. Police tried to box Phipps in to stop him from fleeing.
Phipps grabbed the woman by the neck and pointed a gun at her head, using her as a “human shield,” according to the charges.
Phipps let the woman go. Still carrying the gun, he ran east on Highway 99, making his way to a 10-foot-tall fence he tried to climb. While straddling the top, he allegedly shot in the direction of police. An officer shot back.
Police believed three shots were fired total. No one was injured.
Phipps fell from the fence, got in the Jaguar and reportedly drove away. Officers pursued the Jaguar as he drove fast down Highway 99. He evaded police.
Almost a month later, federal agents eventually arrested the suspect in Yakima County. When authorities arrested him, Phipps had a new tattoo on the side of his face depicting an AK-47, according to court papers.
Initially, prosecutors charged Phipps with first-degree kidnapping and unlawful firearm possession. Later, they added three counts of first-degree assault.
The defense argued Phipps didn’t fire any of the shots. His public defender wrote in court papers that investigators determined one of the officers fired two of the three shots. And despite extensive searches, they reportedly didn’t find a third bullet or casing.
In July of this year, after a trial in Snohomish County Superior Court, a jury found Phipps guilty on the kidnapping and firearm charges, but not guilty on all three first-degree assault allegations. Instead, jurors found him guilty of the lesser charge of second-degree assault in each case.
Under state sentencing guidelines, Phipps faced between just under 26½ years and just over 30½ years in prison. Prosecutors asked for a sentence in the middle of the range. Phipps’ public defender requested a prison term of 14 years, well below the range.
In a psychological evaluation, Phipps reported suffering physical and sexual abuse as a child. He started using methamphetamine when he was 13. He has been homeless since middle school, according to court papers.
Phipps’ attorney, Ana Faoro, wrote the 14-year recommendation was a “severe sentence for a 28-year-old and will protect the public while offering Mr. Phipps an opportunity to improve himself while addressing his substance use, mental health symptoms, and focusing on the hope of a future relationship with his daughter.”
In arguing for the roughly 28½-year sentence, deputy prosecutor Corinne Klein wrote in court filings, “The defendant has demonstrated to this court that he is incapable of the absolute bare minimum requirement of society: to not hurt others.”
Phipps has an extensive rap sheet, including over a dozen felony convictions as an adult, all out of Whatcom County. The charges prior to this case included second- and third-degree assault, burglary and gun allegations.
He also faces an attempted murder charge for the alleged shooting in Whatcom County. He was accused of shooting a man in the chest in June 2022 near Ferndale. The trial in that case is scheduled for Dec. 30.
Jake Goldstein-Street: 425-339-3439; jake.goldstein-street@heraldnet.com; X: @GoldsteinStreet.
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