Man accused of opening fire from Spanaway house at passing car, hitting two people inside vehicle

TACOMA, Wash. -- A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly opening fire from a house in Spanaway at a car and hitting two of the three occupants inside, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department said Wednesday.

"The two victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries," the sheriff's department said.

The incident began at about 6:43 a.m. Tuesday when a 911 call came in reporting that two victims had been shot in the head while traveling in a car. After being struck by a bullet, the victim's Dodge Avenger crashed into bushes in the 1300 block of Military Road East in Spanaway.

Deputies found two men and a woman lying on the ground near the car when they arrived. The driver, a man, was suffering from a gunshot wound to the head. The other man had "a grazing wound" to his head and the woman was injured, the department said.

Deputies were told that the shooter appeared to be in a home near the crash scene. One of the victims told deputies that they were having car trouble so they pulled to the side of the road at Military and 13th Avenue Court East.

"The victim said that a man (who they did not know) walked out of a residence in the 15900 block of 13th Avenue Court East; the man reportedly yelled at the victims and pointed an AR15-style rifle at them," the department said.

The victim said they put their hands up in the air, got back into the car and began to drive away.

"The suspect reportedly fired at least one round through the window of the car, grazing the back passenger's head and striking the driver's head."

Deputies took up positions around the house and, after "multiple attempted phone calls into the house," an older woman and two younger men came out of the house. One of the victims identified one of the men as the shooter.

The 23-year-old suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail for three counts of first-degree assault.

The investigation is continuing to try to "determine the circumstances of the shooting," the department said.