Vigilante justice?

Is anyone else concerned about the couple who held a suspected shoplifter at gunpoint outside a store on the South Hill? According to a June 30th article in The Spokesman, this couple “believed” that a woman who ran out of a store had shoplifted. They both pulled handguns, pointed them at her, threatened her, and refused to let her get out of her car. Ultimately, police arrived and charged the woman with shoplifting, a gross misdemeanor.

In Washington, it’s a gross misdemeanor to aim a firearm towardsany person (RCW 9.41.230). It’s also a gross misdemeanor to display or draw a firearm in a way that shows an intent to intimidate another person (RCW 9.41.270). So, this couple committed at least two gross misdemeanors right in front of the police, but were not arrested; the possible shoplifter was arrested.

Citizen’s arrest? Not really. A private person in Washington can only make a citizen’s arrest for a misdemeanor if it was committed in the citizen’s presence AND constituted a breach of the peace. Neither condition was met.

What’s wrong with this picture? It is not OK to do what this couple did. It’s against the law. Yet the police apparently just shrugged it off.

What if it’s me next time — running to my car clutching my purchase, late to a doctor’s appointment? Can anyone who feels like it pull a gun on me and confine me to my car? That’s the message the police have sent.

Betsy Schneider

Spokane