Warrant issued for Ephrata armed robbery suspect

EPHRATA — An arrest warrant was issued for a man who allegedly robbed a person at gunpoint and fired a shot in Ephrata last week.

Twenty-five-year-old Alfredo Silva was charged in Grant County Superior Court with first-degree robbery, first-degree assault and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

In the evening hours of Aug. 13 the Ephrata Police Department received a report of a shot fired in the 1400 block of Basin Street Southwest. Police arrived and talked to one of the victims in the incident, who said he was sitting on the porch of his apartment when two male Hispanic males arrived and started knocking on the door of another apartment.

One of the two Hispanic males asked one of the other males for a cigarette, but the male didn’t have one and the man left. A short time later a man, alleged to be Silva, who was dressed in different clothes than the man who asked for a cigarette, returned to the area and pointed a gun at the males on the porch. He allegedly demanded money and had the gun pointed at one of the victim’s forehead and demanded he give him his belongings.

After a few seconds Silva moved the gun and fired a round into a nearby couch. Silva pointed the gun at the victim again and the victim gave him his wallet, after which Silva fled the scene on foot. Police were able to find a bullet hole in the couch and determined the bullet struck a nearby vehicle tire as well.

Silva’s sister, 27-year-old Leslie Silva Diaz, admitted to picking up her brother, along with two other unidentified people, in the Safeway parking lot after the shooting. Investigators obtained video surveillance from nearby business in which Alfredo Silva can allegedly be seen in his sister’s vehicle rifling through a wallet.

"After reviewing the video and looking in Leslie's apartment it is clear to me Leslie is an active participant in the robbery. Leslie clearly drove Alfredo to and from the scene of the robbery," wrote a officer. 

EPD officers and the Moses Lake Regional Tactical Response Team raided a room at the Sun City Motel in Ephrata the next day in an unsuccessful attempt to locate Silva. Leslie Silva Diaz was apprehended and taken into custody. Police obtained a search warrant for Leslie Silva Diaz's apartment and reportedly recovered a credit card and social security, both of which belonged to the robbery victim. Alfredo Silva is still on the run, while Leslie Silva Diaz is facing a charge of rendering criminal assistance.

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.