Couple tied up in home invasion escapes, husband shoots fleeing robber; suspect's body found 20 miles away



LAKEWOOD -- Police say a suspect in a brutal and terrifying home invasion was shot by the homeowner, and he was carried off by his fellow intruders.  Then his body was dumped more than 20 miles away.

In a bizarre and evolving story with suspects still on the loose, police say they received "frantic" calls from a homeowner around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 11000 block of Briar Road Southwest in Lakewood. The man told police that he and his wife had just been robbed, and he shot one of the suspects.

Lakewood police drove to the scene and interviewed the husband and wife homeowners. According to the victims, three unknown men knocked on their door Tuesday night and forced their way inside the home. One of the suspects was armed with a handgun, and another was armed with a knife, Lakewood police said.

The suspects pistol-whipped the husband and cut the wife on the hand before tying them up. The suspects then searched the house for items to steal.

At some point during the robbery, the suspects stepped outside and the husband was able to free himself and untie his wife, police said. They shut the door and locked the suspects out before running into a back bedroom.

However, the suspects forced themselves back into the house, police said, and ran to the bedroom.  The husband, who had since armed himself with a

handgun he kept in his room, fired two shots as the suspects barged through the door. Police said evidence from the scene suggests one of the suspects was hit by gunfire, and the suspects fled.

After police arrived at the home, the husband received treatment for cuts to his head and the wife for cuts to her hand. The injuries were relatively minor.

Hours later and with no sign of the suspects, police in Federal Way received calls of a shooting from residents at the Club Palisades apartment complex in the 2100 block of South Star Lake Road. The reporting party allegedly heard shots, saw a person fall to the ground and watched a vehicle drive away.

When Federal Way police arrived on scene, they found man in his 20s dead from gunshot wounds. Police believe the deceased was one of the suspects in the Lakewood home invasion. It is not known if he died en route from Lakewood or if he was killed --possibly by his accomplices -- at the apartment complex.

Police said the other suspects in the home invasion robbery are still on the loose. They are described as black males, about 5'10" tall with a medium build. They were wearing dark clothing with knit caps and some kind of masks covering their faces during the robbery.

Major crimes detectives in both locations are investigating the crime.

Anyone with more information on the home invasion or the Federal Way shooting is encouraged to call 911.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.