17-year-old accused of shooting at rival gang members in front of Pasco store

A 17-year-old gang member is accused of shooting at three teens in front of a Pasco convenience store in mid-April.

Isaiah A. Ceja allegedly fired multiple times at two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old in a silver BMW parked in front of Sky Market at 1935 Sylvester Street about 1:40 p.m. April 16, court documents said.

Ceja was in a blue Honda Civic when he opened fire.

Three shots hit the BMW, one went through the front windshield and struck the passenger’s side headrest. The bullet only missed the passenger because he had ducked behind the dash. Another shot hit the front of the store, police said.

By the time officers arrived the Civic and the silver BMW were gone, and police were left with multiple 9mm shell casings and a damaged building.

Officers soon learned that the BMW was parked in front of a home on Marie Street about half a mile away, court documents said. The car had a flat tire, and other damage.

Investigators learned two of the three people in the BMW had ties to rival gangs. The BMW’s driver and the rear passenger said they had ongoing issues with Ceja.

Police identified Ceja by the blue Civic which belongs to his mother, court documents said.

Ceja is charged with three counts of first-degree assault, and is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail in Benton-Franklin Juvenile Detention Center.

While Ceja is a juvenile, state law allows prosecutors to charge 16- and 17-year-olds who commit certain crimes as an adult without a hearing.