Air gun incident gets teen arrested

A 17-year-old was arrested and taken to Grant County Jail last Friday charged with attempted first-degree robbery after allegedly pulling a clear, plastic, air gun on a store clerk.

The Auburn, Washington juvenile, only five days short of his 18th birthday, allegedly had entered Jack’s Four Corner Service, along with two other youths, and, after walking around the store, asked the clerk for a “swisher” (a cigar). The clerk asked for some ID and then refused the sale of a cigar, a police report states.

Some words were exchanged; the youth left the store, returned later and pulled an Airsoft pistol from his waistband and asked for a “swisher” again.

The clerk said he knew it was an airgun because it was clear plastic. The “swisher” was refused the second time, and the youth left the store.

The clerk caught the last four numbers on the license plate and gave police a good description of the vehicle, saying it was headed toward Wilbur.

Police searched the area and eventually found it at Spring Canyon campground.

There, police confronted the other youth, asking about the incident.

They told the officer that they didn’t know where the youth with the airgun was. But a short time later it was disclosed that the person police were looking for was in a nearby vehicle.

The suspect told police that he broke up the airgun and tossed it out the window while en route to the campground.

The youth told officers Dan Holland and Chris McClanahan that it was all a “stupid prank and not a big deal.”

Later he learned that it was a big deal, when he was informed that he was under arrest and headed to Grant County Juvenile Detention Center.

The suspect said he hadn’t pulled the gun out, just showed it. Police stated in their report that the incident was recorded on a security camera and that they would get a copy of the recording when the owner returned from Wenatchee.

Police are asking the county prosecutor’s office to review the report and determine if the other two youth present at the time should be charged with being accomplices.