Benjamin S. Alaniz confers with his lawyer yesterday afternoon in Lewis County Superior Court.
By Sharyn L. Decker
Lewis County Sirens news reporter
CHEHALIS – Bail was set at a half million dollars for a 26-year-old Chehalis man who allegedly tried to shoot an acquaintance inside a car in Centralia on Monday but was holding a pistol that malfunctioned and did not fire.
Benjamin S. Alaniz was charged in Lewis County Superior Court yesterday with first-degree assault and other related offenses, but prosecutors are considering charging Alaniz with attempted murder, according to Deputy Prosecutor Shane O’Rourke.
“Basically, the victim lucked out,” Centralia detective Sgt. Pat Fitzgerald said.
Police were called to the area near the Centralia Outlet Mall west of Interstate 5 on Monday afternoon, after the 20-year-old victim jumped out the vehicle as it was making a turn on a side street and crawled to a house where a woman called 911, according to charging documents.
According to charging documents, police were told the driver of the car picked up Nicholas J. George to go buy drugs and almost immediately after that, Alaniz jumped into the car, put the gun to George’s ribcage and demanded money.
George tried to get out, but Alaniz held him by the arm, slapped him in the face with the gun and then pointed it at George’s face threatening to kill him, according to the allegations.
“George said he was extremely scared and thought he was going to be killed and said ‘go ahead, just kill me’,” charging documents state.
Both George and the driver said they then heard the gun click several times as if being fired but no shots discharged.
George bailed out of the car and then Alaniz did the same a few blocks away, where a responding officer stopped and chased Alaniz to a trailer park on the 1200 block of Harrison Avenue, according to police.
Centralia police described the incidents as occurring in the 1400 blocks of View and Jensen avenues.
A subsequent search of the car turned up a loaded .22 caliber handgun tucked in a bandana near the center console along with ammunition in a bag nearby, according to charging documents.
A Centralia detective yesterday tested the firearm and found that sometimes when the trigger was pulled it fired and sometimes it did not, according to charging documents.
Deputy Prosecutor O’Rourke said yesterday afternoon he wanted to look over a transcript of the victim’s interview with police before making a decision about a charge of attempted second-degree murder.
Alaniz is currently charged with first-degree assault, first-degree attempted robbery, unlawful imprisonment, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of methamphetamine.
When he appeared before a judge yesterday afternoon, defense attorney Bob Schroeter said he is a lifelong Lewis County resident, with a small enough income he qualified for a court appointed attorney.
Alaniz has previous felony convictions for burglary, possessing stolen property and unlawful possession of a firearm.
A small bindle of methamphetamine was found in his sock at the hospital when he was being treated for exhaustion from running form police, according to authorities.
The victim had $1,000 in his pocket, which he initially told police was money from his paycheck he had been counting as he walked down the street. He subsequently told officers he said that because he was going to buy drugs and was afraid he would get in trouble, according to charging documents.
Alaniz is scheduled to make his pleas tomorrow in Lewis County Superior Court.
Tags: By Sharyn L. Decker, news reporter