I-82 thieves stealing from broken-down SUV pull gun on owner

A group of thieves took advantage of a broken-down SUV on Interstate 82, and pointed a gun at the driver and his friends when they returned to get it.

The SUV’s engine died at the on-ramp from Coffin Road to the highway, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office posted early Saturday.

The owner and his friends left it locked on the side of the road and went to get a truck to tow it. When they returned, they found a window had been shattered and two men were removing items. A red-headed woman in an unlicensed black ‘90s Honda Civic was parked nearby.

The thieves fled in the Honda, and one pointed a 9mm handgun at them before they drove off, heading toward Oregon, said investigators.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to contact the Benton County Sheriff’s Office through the non-emergency dispatch number at 509-628-0333.