Man arrested after shooting at mall an 11-time felon

EVERETT — The man arrested Tuesday night for gunfire at the Everett Mall was just released from prison in February and was awaiting sentencing for a new felony he committed less than two months after he was freed.

Charles F. Sprague, 26, has a long criminal history that includes 11 felonies, some dating back to when he was a juvenile. Most of his crimes center around drugs and theft.

Sprague could be looking at a long stretch behind bars if he is convicted of crimes stemming from Tuesday evening’s chaos.

Sprague was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and assault. He also was wanted for failing to report to his community corrections officer.

The mall incident began around 5:45 p.m. after Sprague and a woman accompanying him allegedly were spotted on closed-circuit TV putting a black Nike brand T-shirt into a shopping bag and leaving Macy’s without paying for it, according to a police report.

A loss prevention officer and mall security attempted to stop Sprague and the woman near the west entrance at the north end of the mall.

The loss prevention officer pulled the shirt from the bag. Sprague allegedly began fighting and tried to pull away.

That’s when a mall security officer jumped on his back, joining in efforts to keep Sprague from escaping.

Sprague reportedly pulled out a .40-caliber handgun.

The mall security officer and suspect were on the ground and the officer grabbed Sprague’s wrists to control the gun.

Sprague’s companion then reportedly attempted to get the security officer off of Sprague and was pushing him and pulling his leg.

Two off-duty police officers who arrived at the mall saw the struggle and helped apprehend the suspect.

During the scrum, Sprague allegedly bit the mall security and plain-clothed officers, according to a police report.

The handgun was fired as the mall officer was attempting to get it away from the suspect.

“Sprague then shot the pistol and the round hit the metal door frame,” the police report said.

At that point, one of the police officers pulled his gun and ordered Sprague to stop resisting.

The mall officer was able to get the gun from the suspect and he was handcuffed by the Macy’s loss prevention officer.

Macy’s was locked down, and much of the nearby parking lot was emptied while police investigated.

The handgun and bullet were recovered.

People were running from the mall as officers arrived. Customers and employees were removed from the mall with police escorts. The Everett police south precinct is just across the street from the mall.

It’s not unusual for shoplifters to resist and assault store security officers in their attempts to escape, turning a misdemeanor into a felony, Everett police officer Aaron Snell said. The use of a gun to try to escape is very unusual, he said. Using a firearm during a robbery can add years to a sentence upon conviction under the state’s “hard time for armed crime” law.

The woman who was with the suspect has not been arrested, Snell said Wednesday.

Sprague pleaded guilty last month after he was caught on video in March trying to use a stolen credit card at a grocery store on Broadway in north Everett. The card had been stolen during a burglary. Also stolen from the home were two handguns. It is unclear if the gun used Tuesday was one of the stolen firearms. Sprague was out on bail and scheduled to be sentenced next month for second-degree possession of stolen property.

He was released from prison in February after being sentenced to nearly two years in state lock-up for trying outrun Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies in a car and also having heroin during another police stop.

Sprague was to have made an appearance on Wednesday in a Snohomish County district court. The hearing was postponed a day after he refused to leave his jail cell.

Herald reporter Rikki King contributed to this story.

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

Lynnwood police respond to a collision on highway 99 at 176 street SW. (Photo provided by Lynnwood Police)
Southbound lanes on Highway 99 reopen after crash

The crash, on Highway 99 at 176th Street SW, blocked traffic for over an hour. Traffic was diverted to 168th Street SW.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett to welcome new CEO

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Search underway to find missing Everett child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday morning at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.