Victim sought in attempted carjacking in Grant County

SCHWANA — Grant County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO) is trying to locate a man who was the victim of an attempted carjacking in Schwana, near the unincorporated town of Beverly.

GCSO Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said on Monday, a delivery van was stolen while the driver was making a delivery to the Outpost Grocery store.

Upon reporting the theft, a GCSO deputy reported he saw the van they were looking for on the side of the road. When he returned to the location where the van was, the deputy found the van empty. Bystanders reported a flatbed truck was stolen nearby.

Sheriff’s deputies and a Washington State Patrol trooper located the suspect driving the stolen truck. As they followed him, they noticed he was aware they were following and started driving erratically. They decided to follow at a larger distance to deter reckless driving and see where he would go.

Just before 3 p.m., the suspect drove into the oncoming lane, along Beverly Burke Road, Southwest near Road 5 Southwest, and stopped. This resulted in three cars in that lane to come to a stop to avoid an accident. The suspect got out of the stolen vehicle and attempted to carjack the three cars stopped in the roadway.

The suspect was unsuccessful and chose to run into a nearby field. He was quickly caught and taken into custody.

During the time the deputies were pursuing the suspect in the field, one of the victims of the attempted carjacking drove away. The GCSO wants the man to call 509-762-1160 and ask to speak to the patrol sergeant.

The man was driving a silver late model Chevrolet pickup and is described as elderly. Foreman said the man was telling the suspect to go away and essentially helped deter the suspect from being successful in the attempted carjackings.

“We want them to come forward if they are the victim of a crime,” Foreman said, referring to anyone, including the man, who might not come forward for various reasons.