A Vancouver man appeared Monday in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of a home-invasion robbery Wednesday in an apartment complex in the Sifton neighborhood.
Brandon M. English, 20, is accused of participating in the robbery, along with John R. Lujan, 17, and another unnamed suspect at the Prairie View Apartment Homes, 12611 N.E. 99th St.
English faces charges at a Dec. 19 arraignment of two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of first-degree kidnapping. Lujan is scheduled to be arraigned on similar charges the same day.
Judge David Gregerson held English on $150,000 bail. English indicated he would like to represent himself in the case, rather than accept a court-appointed attorney.
Court documents indicate the three suspects arranged to meet a man Wednesday at a unit in the complex under the ruse that they planned to buy marijuana from him. Instead, they stole the drugs, plus other valuables, according to a probable cause affidavit filed in court.
The male victim answered the door and allowed the three to enter the apartment. He brought marijuana from his bedroom to the kitchen. The unidentified suspect pulled out a revolver and pointed it at the victim and a woman with the victim. The suspect isn’t named in court documents. Lujan and English tied the two victims up with cords, court documents say.
Then the armed suspect ordered Lujan to get down on a sofa. The armed suspect put the two victims in a closet and left Lujan on the floor before he and English left the apartment with the victims’ marijuana, an Xbox 360, a wallet, a purse and a cellphone, according to court records.
The two victims were asked to review a photo montage to identify the suspects. The female victim selected a photograph of English, stating “she was 50 percent sure” he was one of the suspects, court documents say. The male victim was unable to identify English out of the photograph lineup, court documents say.
