Five months after beating a murder charge, Brent Luyster Jr. was back in court Friday, now accused of stealing gun accessories from a store last month and pointing a gun at an employee who tried to stop him.
Luyster, 18, appeared in Clark County Superior Court on suspicion of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle. He is being held without bail until he is arraigned Jan. 27.
Defense attorney Renee Alsept asked Judge Jennifer Snider to appoint defense attorney Michele Michalek, the same attorney who represented Luyster at his murder trial in August, to represent him again. Michalek was unavailable Friday morning because she was in another trial.
Alsept reserved setting bail until Luyster’s arraignment, at which time Michalek can argue for an amount.
Vancouver police responded Dec. 23 to Sportsman’s Warehouse at 11505 N.E. Fourth Plain Blvd.
Investigators said two people, one of whom was later identified as Luyster, could be seen on surveillance video arriving at the store in what appeared to be a stolen vehicle. The video shows the two entering the store wearing ski masks and gloves, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Once inside the store, the pair could be seen selecting gun magazines and ammunition reloading tools from shelves, then attempting to leave without paying for the items, court records state.
When a loss prevention employee approached them, the video shows one of the thieves, identified in court documents as Luyster, drew a pistol and pointed it at the employee’s face. The two men then left the store.
Once the pair was outside, investigators say Luyster can be seen firing the pistol in the air. Officers found a spent shell casing in the area, the affidavit states.
The men are seen leaving the parking lot in a Dodge Nitro with Oregon license plates, according to court records.
Investigators said the men can be seen on video lifting their face masks at one point while in the store and officers were able to identify Luyster.
Police found the vehicle Dec. 28 parked near Northeast 26th Street and 112th Avenue. There were no license plates on the car and officers confirmed it was stolen by the vehicle identification number, the affidavit states.
Officers arrested Luyster on Thursday. Court records do not state the circumstances of his arrest.
During a police interview with an attorney present, officers said Luyster made vague statements about the incident. Police say Luyster told them he uses a variety of drugs and would not tell them where the gun was, the affidavit states.
Luyster has previous convictions for second-degree robbery in 2017 and first-degree robbery in 2018, along with possession of a stolen firearm from 2016; he is prohibited from possessing firearms, according to court records.
Luyster is the son of convicted triple murderer Brent Luyster, who’s serving multiple life sentences without the possibility of release, in addition to 10 years in a federal firearms case. A state database shows he is incarcerated at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Aberdeen.
