Man brings high-capacity gun to suspected shoplifting trip in Spanaway, deputies say

A 26-year-old man tried to pull out a gun on deputies inside a Walmart in Spanaway on Tuesday, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

The sheriff’s department gave the following account in a Facebook post and video.

Two deputies were alerted to a possible shoplifter inside a Walmart in Spanaway at 8:40 p.m. on Sept. 24. They found a man removing tags from clothing in the store. Asked by loss prevention staff to trespass him from the store, deputies approached the man and said he needed to come with them to the loss prevention office to talk about his suspicious behavior. While they were walking, the man began trying to open a bag slung around his shoulder on his back.

Deputies told him not to open the bag. When he started to reach for it again, they grabbed him to keep him from opening it. He resisted, and they pinned him to the ground and handcuffed him, then walked him to the loss prevention office.

When deputies searched his bag, they found a gun. The man was booked into Pierce County Jail. Records indicated he was a convicted felon and had a warrant for assault in the second degree.

Court records show that prosecutors charged him with unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree.

This gun, which the post described as a “Ruger PC Charger “pistol,” (similar to a carbine) with an extended 31 round magazine,” is closer to a rifle than a pistol, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Darren Moss.

“Technically, it shoots pistol ammunition, so it doesn’t pierce our body armor, but he had a 31 round magazine,” Moss said.

According to Moss, the maximum number of rounds in a magazine you can legally buy in a store is 10 in Washington state. He said the reason for the cap is likely because of concerns about the risk of mass shootings. A magazine with more rounds means the shooter doesn’t need to reload as often.