EVERETT — A 15-year-old boy who was shot in the foot last year is now charged with a felony.
Prosecutors allege that the boy struck a security guard with his mom’s car before school on Feb. 8. The guard required medical attention for minor injuries. Two security officers shot at the boy during the incident, which happened outside a Food and Drug Administration building in Bothell. The boy was hit in the foot.
The teen was charged Monday with third-degree assault. He is expected to be in court later this month to answer to the charge.
The Herald is not naming him because he is charged as a juvenile.
Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Roe last week announced that the guards were legally justified in firing their weapons. He concluded that the boy’s actions caused the security officers to reasonably fear for their lives.
The guards work for Paragon Systems, which provides armed security for federal buildings under a contract with U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to court records.
The shooting happened in the parking lot at the Pacific Regional Laboratory Northwest office. The FDA site is used to test food products for pesticides and other substances.
At the time, the boy was a freshman at the Northshore School District’s Secondary Academy for Success, an alternative school. The FDA building is a few hundred yards away from the school.
A security guard reported seeing an idling car in the parking lot. He asked the teen to step out of the car. The boy ran off when the guard asked him for identification.
He reportedly ran back to the car a short time later. The guards drew their weapons and ordered the boy out of the vehicle. That’s when the teen allegedly gunned the car, striking one of the guards. The impact ripped off the driver’s side mirror.
The guard fired at the Chrysler, hitting it several times. The second guard also shot at the car.
The boy reportedly continued to accelerate backward until he hit a parked car. He sped forward toward the first officer, who fired at the car again.
In his attempt to escape, the boy reportedly hit a car on Highway 527. Police later found him at a house in Bothell. He had a gunshot wound to his foot. He was treated at a local hospital and later arrested.
He didn’t have a driver’s license and didn’t have permission to drive his mom’s car.
The shooting was investigated by the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463; hefley@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
