Two men accused of breaking into a Tacoma garage and getting into a shootout with the homeowners may have been trying to steal motorcycles, police said.
It started about 12:30 a.m. Saturday when a man noticed one of the security cameras outside his South Ainsworth Avenue home go dark. He then saw two people cutting a padlock on his chain link fence.
The man and his roommate went outside to confront the intruders and saw two men in ski masks rummaging around his garage.
The homeowner later told police one of his motorcycles was recently stolen, and he had others in his garage.
After the homeowner and his roommate yelled at the intruders to freeze, the intruders allegedly rushed the other men.
The homeowner sprayed bear spray into the garage and his roommate struck one of the intruders with a baseball bat.
Then shots were fired.
Police said one of the suspects shot the homeowner in the chest. He allegedly returned fire, hitting one of the intruders in the stomach.
The men who live in the home were able to hold the suspects at gunpoint until officers arrived to arrest them.
A truck with gloves, wire cutters and flashlights was found in a nearby alley.
One of the intruders, a 27-year-old man, used to live on the property and knew the homeowner. He remains hospitalized from a gunshot wound to the stomach. His injuries were considered life-threatening.
The other alleged intruder, a 29-year-old man, told police they were trying to retrieve items from the garage at the request of the homeowner’s ex-girlfriend.
On Monday, Pierce County prosecutors charged both men with first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary. One of the men is also charged with second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He pleaded not guilty Monday and was ordered jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail.
The other man will be arraigned when he is released from the hospital.
This story was originally published March 27, 2018 10:39 AM.