A Tacoma man faces allegations he shot at trees while on the shoulder of Interstate 5 in Lewis County on Tuesday.
Eduardo A. Ramirez Santos, 23, is charged with one felony count of noncitizen in possession of a firearm. The offense is punishable by up to five years in prison.
Ramirez Santos also faces charges of unlawful discharge of a firearm and carrying a concealed pistol without a license, both gross misdemeanors punishable by up to 364 days in jail.
He made a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Wednesday.
Judge J. Andrew Toynbee set the defendant’s bail at $50,000 cash or bond, based, he said, on a threat to community safety and a likely failure to appear in court without sufficient bail.
Toynbee ordered that Ramirez Santos not drive a motor vehicle while the case is pending.
The decision came after the prosecution referenced potential future charges alleging that Ramirez Santos had attempted to elude police officers.
Ramirez Santos’ defense, meanwhile, highlighted his lack of both criminal convictions and failures to appear in court, his stable residency and his work history.
Court documents indicate Ramirez Santos is a Honduran citizen.
According to a probable cause affidavit, state troopers arrived at the scene after receiving reports that a male was “on the shoulder of the freeway discharging a firearm at trees.”
The suspect was reportedly near milepost 63.
According to the affidavit, the male’s description allegedly matched with a suspect involved in a robbery that had occurred in Clark County the day before.
In that robbery, the suspect allegedly used a weapon to “obtain a vehicle.”
The troopers handcuffed Ramirez Santos at the scene and reportedly found a pistol in his pocket.
According to the affidavit, Ramirez Santos allegedly said he found the pistol and had fired “two rounds at trees from the side of the freeway.”
Law enforcement reportedly found three shell casings in the area.
Ramirez Santos was scheduled for an arraignment on May 21.
