Man fired into ground as police chased him through Kennewick apartment complex
A 35-year-old man is behind bars after a confrontation with police in front of a Kennewick gas station and apartment complex on Columbia Center Boulevard.
James Dean West is being held on a $200,000 bail on a 72-hour hold for suspicion of second-degree assault, illegal gun possession and physical control of a vehicle while intoxicated.
West appeared Tuesday in Benton County Superior Court by video from the jail a day after the gunfire erupted along Columbia Center Boulevard in Kennewick
Deputy Prosecutor Kristin McRoberts asked for West to be held on $200,000 bail as prosecutors decide what to charge him with.
When he was arrested, West already was wanted on a Yakima County warrant for allegedly violating a no contact order. He has two other convictions for the same crime in Benton County.
And West has 11 prior gross misdemeanor convictions including one from 2018 for bail jumping.
He hasn’t been legally able to possess a gun since 2018.
West’s court appearance came a day after Kennewick police and Benton County sheriff’s deputies were called to a Circle K gas station to check on a man slumped over a steering wheel while parked at a gas pump.
The person who called 911 told officers he had knocked on the window, but didn’t get a response.
Police believe that was a sign he was intoxicated with narcotics, in particular fentanyl.
When officers and deputies arrived, they saw he had gun on him in the car, said Benton County sheriff’s Lt. Jason Erickson.
West regained consciousness, and officers radioed they had one person at gunpoint, according to court records.
But West then raced across the street and into the parking lot of the Village at Grandridge apartments. As he was running, West pulled out a semi-automatic pistol and fired a round into the ground.
Officers returned fire.
When police tried to negotiate with him to surrender, West pointed the gun at his own head, McRoberts told the judge Tuesday.
West ended up on the ground and officers used a taser to apprehend him, according to court documents.
It remains unclear whether West was hit by the gunfire. He was taken to Trios Southridge Hospital before being booked into the Benton County jail just before 5 p.m. Monday.
The Regional Special Investigations Unit was called out to investigate the officer-involved shooting.
The unit includes investigators from Benton, Franklin and Walla Walla counties.
The SIU unit hasn’t released any more information, including what officers were involved.