Update: Crime spree through Tri-Cities ends in Richland Motel 6 standoff

A Benton City man went on a one-night crime spree, including stealing guns by using a SUV to yank open the doors of a Kennewick pawn shop, said police.

Jason Vargas, 25, apparently started in West Richland around 6 p.m. Wednesday when he and another man stole a car that was left running in a parking lot.

Benton County deputies spotted the car in Benton City and chased it. Deputies managed to catch and arrest Carl Allstott, 34, but Vargas got away, police said.

Investigators believe he headed to Kennewick where he broke into several downtown businesses, including D&A Auto Repair on Bruneau Avenue, said Officer Cory McGee.

He grabbed the keys to a Jeep Cherokee and drove through a fence, said McGee.

At 8:45 p.m., he backed the Cherokee up to the doors of Ace Jewelry and Loan on West Entiat Avenue, attached a tether to the door and yank them open.

Police say Vargas stole several guns and drove off.

Benton County deputies found the Cherokee at the bottom of an embankment Thursday afternoon.

Vargas reportedly switched to a different stolen car after the pawn shop break-in and was spotted driving 80 mph in a 35-mph zone on Highway 240, said police.

Police called off the chase for public safety reasons and later spotted the car in the parking lot of the Richland Motel 6 near Columbia Center Boulevard.

Richland and Kennewick police along with Benton County sheriff’s deputies surrounded the motel and evacuated people from the nearby rooms.

Vargas later surrendered peacefully, and detectives said they seized several of the stolen guns.

He was booked into the Benton County jail on suspicion of burglary, auto theft, illegal gun possession and gun theft. He also was being held on a recently filed drug possession charge.

This story was originally published March 5, 2020 at 11:01 AM.