A Washougal man appeared in court Thursday on suspicion of using a hatchet to threaten a convenience store cashier during a robbery attempt.
Keki Kiril Silva-McKendree, 23, faces charges of first-degree attempted robbery, methamphetamine possession, third-degree malicious mischief and third-degree possession of stolen property.
Judge Robert Lewis held him in lieu of $25,000 bail and appointed Vancouver attorney Susan Stauffer to defend him. He’s set to be arraigned on the charges July 17.
He is accused of entering the 7 Market, 3520 N.E. Third Ave., Camas, about 10:21 a.m. with a stolen purse and a hatchet in hand. He allegedly hurled the hatchet down on a glass display counter, causing it to shatter, and demanded money from cashier Nam Yang. The head of the hatchet detached from the handle and landed behind the counter.
“Yang told him there was no money, but the suspect continued to demand money and still had the handle in his hand,” wrote Camas police Officer Carlos Gonzalez in a court affidavit. “The suspect moved near the cash register, threw Yang the purse and again, demanded money.”
Yang, who had his hands up, repeated that there was no money, according to court records.
“The suspect tossed the hatchet handle at Yang, hitting him in the forehead and causing a minor abrasion,” Gonzalez wrote.
The suspect fled the store empty-handed and drove away in a red Chrysler Sebring.
Surveillance video captured the attempted robbery, according to court records.
While the incident was unfolding, Silva-McKendree’s mother called 911 to report that her son was having a mental health crisis and was driving around town in a red Chrysler Sebring.
Officers quickly located the car near the Camas marina. Silva-McKendree was arrested more than an hour later after officers found him hiding in some bushes in the 2500 block of Southeast 11th Avenue, court records say.
He told investigators that he had been using methamphetamine for a couple of weeks and went to the market because he needed money.
“He said he was going to move away and also possibly purchase drugs with the money,” Gonzalez wrote.
Police later located the owner of the stolen purse, court records say.
Court records indicate that Silva-McKendree was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder and anxiety.
