An Oregon man, accused of shooting at a pursuing Clark County deputy Saturday while fleeing the scene of a robbery at a Hazel Dell store, appeared with an alleged accomplice Monday in Clark County Superior Court.
Joshua Tyler Young, 32, of St. Helens appeared on suspicion of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, attempt to elude, second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle.
His co-defendant, Rashawn Laray Anderson, 41, of Portland, appeared on suspicion of first-degree robbery, attempt to elude and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The prosecution said Young was out of custody on two pending criminal cases when this incident occurred.
Judge Gregory Gonzales set Young’s bail at a total of $370,000 between his three pending cases — $100,000 more than the prosecution requested.
Gonzales set Anderson’s bail at $200,000 in this case and ordered a no-bail hold in a fugitive case out of California.
Both men are scheduled to be arraigned April 1.
Deputies were dispatched at about 5:40 p.m. for a reported robbery at Kohl’s, 9312 N.E. Fifth Ave. While en route, deputies learned that two men, later identified as Young and Anderson, had taken merchandise, including shoes and clothing, from the store, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Kohl’s employees tried to stop the two, but Young told one employee that if he came any closer, Young would pull out a gun, the affidavit says. No employees saw a gun.
Young and Anderson ran from the store to a black Ford F-150 pickup in the parking lot. Investigators said they later learned that the pickup was stolen. Young got into the driver’s seat, and Anderson got into the front passenger seat. There was also a woman, later identified as 30-year-old Megan Eveland, already inside the pickup, court records state.
As the suspects fled, Deputy Greg Agar pulled behind the pickup. Young sped away, driving through red lights and stop signs and reaching speeds up to 130 mph. Agar pursued the pickup with his emergency lights and sirens on, the affidavit says. The pursuit went into Vancouver and made its way to the area of East 33rd Street and Fairmount Avenue in the Fourth Plain Village neighborhood.
During the pursuit, Agar said, he heard two gunshots come from the pickup, but he didn’t see anything, according to the affidavit. He was not wounded.
Young crashed the pickup a few blocks from there, near 33rd Street and Watson Avenue. All of the occupants were taken into custody and transported to Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center for treatment.
Vancouver police secured the area and located two 9 mm shell casings and a Smith & Wesson 9 mm pistol, court records state.
In an interview with detectives, Eveland said Young picked her up earlier that day from Jantzen Beach in Portland, and there was a man she didn’t know in the front passenger seat. They drove to the Kohl’s in Hazel Dell, she said. The two men went inside the store, and she stayed in the pickup, according to the affidavit.
“Eveland said the next thing she knew, Young and Anderson (whose name she did not know) were running back to the truck, carrying a box of shoes and clothing,” the affidavit reads.
She said as Young sped away from the pursuing deputy, he pulled out a gun. Anderson told Young not to shoot, Eveland said, but Young started shooting at the deputy. She said he fired two or three times and then threw the gun out the driver’s window, court records state.
When interviewed by police, Young admitted to stealing merchandise from Kohl’s but denied threatening any employees with a gun or firing a gun. He declined to speak about the pursuit, according to the affidavit. Young’s jail booking sheet notes that he admitted to using methamphetamine earlier that day.
Anderson refused to speak with law enforcement.
Store video surveillance confirmed Young and Anderson as the robbery suspects, court records state.
