BATTLE GROUND, Wash. (KATU) — Police arrested one man and are searching for another suspect after a reported drive-by shooting in a northeast Battle Ground neighborhood Saturday afternoon.
Officers responded to a neighborhood near Northeast Heisson Rd and 17th Avenue just before 2 p.m. after witnesses reported seeing two men speeding away in a car, followed by several gunshots as the vehicle headed towards Battle Ground Lake State Park.
Witnesses described the vehicle as a silver Nissan.
Kayla McCartney told KATU she called 911 after hearing the gunshots from inside her home.
“Around 1:55, we heard about five rounds of gunshots,” she said. “So, we started panicking, looking out of our windows and then we heard another five rounds. We heard that they drove over here following one of the neighbors in a road rage incident and shot out of their car at the neighbor’s house.”
Several law enforcement agencies responded, including Battle Ground Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Police.
A Clark County sheriff’s deputy spotted a car matching the description of the suspect vehicle as it pulled into the state park, just over a mile from where the gunshots were reported.
Police detained the driver, but police said the passenger ran off from the vehicle.
Park staff briefly evacuated campers and visitors as police, state troopers, SWAT and K9 officers searched the area with rifles and drones.
Armed law enforcement officers at Battle Ground State Park on Saturday afternoon. Courtesy: Lesley Record
The second suspect was not located, according to Battle Ground police.
Officers also searched the neighborhood where the shooting was reported and found several spent shell casings in the road.
The campground reopened before 4 p.m. No injuries were reported.
Battle Ground Police identified the driver as 44-year-old Theodore Seaman. He was booked into the Clark County Jail on a drive-by shooting charge.
Anyone with information about the shooting or the second suspect is asked to contact Detective Everett with the Battle Ground Police Department. Case #26-1476.