Police: Everett man steals laptops, then pepper-sprays cops

LYNNWOOD — An Everett man said he stole computers from a mall and sold them online to support his drug use, according to a Lynnwood police report.

That habit ran him $120 a day, he estimated.

He’s also accused of dousing a police officer with pepper spray and driving off from a police officer who’d drawn a gun.

The man, 27, with spiked, blond hair and wearing a black jacket, allegedly hit the same Microsoft kiosk at the Alderwood mall on three days in April and May.

He would grab a laptop or two and then run off, according to court papers filed in Snohomish County Superior Court. By the time officers arrived, he was gone.

In total, he allegedly took four computers, with a combined value of $6,700.

He then sold them online at a steep discount, for $2,180 all together, he later told police, according to documents.

On Sunday, he was spotted at the mall again, near the Macy’s. A Lynnwood police officer arrived around 6 p.m. and found him in the parking lot.

“Hey come here,” the officer said.

The man took off running.

Then, he turned his right hand back toward the officer, who had almost caught up, and blasted him in the face with pepper spray.

By the time the officer caught up again, the man was already in his car, with the engine running and the door locked.

The officer pointed a gun at the suspect. The man pulled into reverse and then drove out of the parking lot.

Within minutes, another officer pulled the man over as he was driving northbound on I-5.

The man was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of third-degree assault with a weapon, first-degree theft and trafficking stolen property. His bail was set to $30,000.

In 2013, he was arrested for allegedly possessing heroin and stealing phones.

Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.