Man shot in face with paintball gun; 4 teens arrested
LYNNWOOD, Wash. - Four teenage boys were arrested Sunday after they allegedly shot a man in the face and chest with a paintball gun, police said.
The incident unfolded just after midnight when the victim contacted an officer who was on an unrelated traffic stop near the 19200 block of 196th Street SW in Lynnwood, said Cmdr. Sean Doty of the Lynnwood police.
The man told the officer he had just been walking to work through a nearby church parking lot when a carload of teenagers pulled up next to him and shot at him with a paintball gun, striking him in the face and chest.
The man had visible swelling and bruising underneath one of his eyes. He told the officer he initially thought he had been shot with a real gun when he was stuck in the face. The man said he could hear laughter coming from the vehicle as it took off.
The man described the suspects' vehicle as a blue four-door sedan driving without its headlights. He said the car exited the church parking lot after the shooting and headed down 196th Street.
The officer had spotted the suspects' car heading along 196th Street while he was conducting his traffic stop and radioed a request for more officers who could attempt to locate the suspects.
Officers quickly located a car matching the description driving in the area making odd turns and occasionally shutting off its headlights. The car was pulled over by officers and a paintball gun was seen inside, Doty said.
After further investigation, all four teens in the car were arrested and booked into the Denney Juvenile Justice Center for investigation of second-degree assault.
The four suspects were all 15- and 16-year-old boys. Two were listed as Edmonds residents, one was from Woodinville, and one was from Lynnwood.
The victim, a man in his 50s, stated he was homeless.
