Crime & Safety

Authorities Charge Thomas Lee Oyen For Shooting At Lakewood Officers

The 28-year-old allegedly shot at officers as they responded to a call Monday at his Woodbrook home.

On Tuesday, Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Thomas Lee Oyen, 28, with first-degree assault for shooting at Lakewood Police police officers.

The defendant was arrested after a lengthy stand-off, during which he told his girlfriend that he shot at the officers because of her.

"This is another reminder of the danger law enforcement officers face everyday," said Prosecutor Lindquist. "The defendant's actions put lives at risk and he will be held fully accountable." 

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On Monday, at about 12:30 a.m., Lakewood Police officers went to the Woodbrook neighborhood after receiving reports of gunfire. Dispatchers said there had been a domestic violence related 911 call coming from a house in the neighborhood and a woman was leaving with a child. When the officers arrived at the scene, gunshots erupted from a mobile home on the same property as the house. Officers took cover behind their cars and nearby trees.

They could hear bullets buzz past them.

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Soon after the shots were fired, Oyen's girlfriend approached police and told them she was the woman who had fled earlier and that Oyen was armed with a Glock 9mm pistol.

While she was talking with police, Oyen called his girlfriend and told her he "shot at the pigs" because of her. Several more gunshots came from the trailer while officers took up positions around the house. Eventually Oyen emerged from the trailer, verbally challenging the officers. The officers used a less than lethal weapon to subdue him and take him into custody. 

The defendant was arraigned today in Pierce County Superior Court. The Court set bail at $500,000. 

Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. 


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