MARYSVILLE — Two teenagers were in for the fright of their young lives Sunday when a Marysville man allegedly chased after them and fired a rifle in their direction, according to court records.
The man, 46, was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of two counts of first-degree assault.
The middle school-aged boys told police they were walking by a house in the 8100 block of 47th Ave. NE when a man “with a beer belly came out with a flashlight,” court papers said. The boys, whose ages were not immediately available, said the man yelled and began running after them. One of the boys reported seeing the man carrying a rifle before both heard a gunshot.
An initial emergency call was made around 10:15 p.m. Sunday.
A neighbor said he was outside smoking when he saw a flash of light and heard a popping sound coming from an area north of his residence.
He then heard what he described as “a whisping sound” through the trees that border his yard.
Moments later, he saw two boys running around the corner and trying to hide in some trees near his yard.
Both boys appeared to be frightened, he told police.
The neighbor called 911 when the boys told him someone pulled a gun on them. He escorted them into a covered driveway.
Another neighbor described what seemed like a firework from the north side of her residence.
The suspect told police he was a recent burglary victim and had installed a motion detector in his yard. It sounded Sunday night while he was watching TV.
He said he thought someone was trying to break into his vehicle. He said he chased the boys, but realized he didn’t have his phone and wasn’t fast enough to catch them.
He didn’t mention carrying a rifle until police asked him about it.
At that point, he gave conflicting stories, court papers said.
He initially said he might have grabbed a rifle and then told police he couldn’t remember if he did.
He later said he might have fired two rounds directly into the grass in front of his house before calling 911.
Police later listened to a 911 call allegedly made by the man. He told the dispatcher that he thought someone had tried to break into his car and chased that person before going back into his home to call 911.
He said that he heard a “bang” when he was chasing them.
An Everett District Court judge set bail at $25,000 on Tuesday.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com
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