A 17-year-old Seattle youth who prosecutors allege fired at two Fry’s Electronics loss-prevention officers in the store’s parking lot March 11 has been charged as an adult with first-degree robbery.
The youth, Andy P. Vongdala, also was charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
He was being held in the jail at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent on $250,000 bail, according to Dan Donohoe, a spokesman for the King County Prosecutor’s Office.
An arraignment is scheduled for Monday.
According to prosecutors, one of the loss-prevention offices spotted three men prowling his personal vehicle in the store parking lot at about 9:30 p.m. on March 11. The men didn’t enter the vehicle. They came into the store, then left.
Later, the three returned to his car and again were spotted on surveillance cameras, according to prosecutors. The victim and another loss-prevention officer ran outside. Another loss-prevention officer continued to monitor the parking lot on the cameras.
As loss-prevention officers approached, two of the three men were getting out of the officer’s vehicle with a car stereo/TV. One of the suspects drew a pistol and fired two rounds at the two officers, according to prosecutors. The two officers then turned and ran.
The three suspects then fled in a white Mercedes Benz sports-utility vehicle. The entire exchange was captured on the surveillance cameras and was aired on local television stations.
On March 17, Vongdala was arrested by Seattle police in an unrelated case. Shown a photo from the surveillance video, Vongdala told a Seattle detective that “Yeah, that’s me and my family.”
He denied breaking into a car or being involved in a shooting, according to prosecutors.
Later his brother was arrested, too. Police found the white Mercedes SUV at the third suspect’s home in Seattle. Charging papers didn’t indicate whether the man was arrested.
According to prosecutors, Vongdala’s criminal history includes driving while license suspended, attempting to elude police, taking a vehicle without permission (four times), first-degree theft and third-degree theft, going back to 2004.
Dean A. Radford can be reached at 425-255-3484, ext. 5050, or at dean.radford@rentonreporter.com.