By Tim Clifford

On July 14 the Highline Times received a reader’s tip regarding nearly a dozen shots fired on 136th and Ambaum around 10 p.m., later that night confirmed by the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Now, according to Washington’s Most Wanted, the suspect in that shooting has been identified as Francisco “Paco” Mendez-Zendeja, who is on the run from the U.S. Marshalls Pacific N.W. Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.

On the night of July 14th a King County Sheriff’s Deputy was driving along Ambaum on patrol when he heard the sounds of men fighting from outside his window. Once he located where the sounds were coming from he saw a group of about 10 people fighting in the street. Using his loud speaker he ordered the group to break up and leave the scene.

The deputy recognized many members of the group as being gang affiliated.

After breaking into two separate groups the men started walking off in different directions. At that point Mendez-Zendeja, who had been fighting, stopped, pulled out a gun and fired on the Honda that the other group was getting into. The deputy observed the entire incident, called for back-up and attempted to pursue the suspect as he and his friends ran away.

Amazingly, despite being less than 10 feet away from the car he was shooting at and firing around 10-13 times the suspect did not hit anyone or any other property with his gunfire.

That night Sgt. Stan Seo informed the Highline Times that they knew the suspect’s identity and address and believed they would apprehend him that night.

It is believed that Mendez-Zendeja opened fire on the Honda because he had lost in a fight. He has been formally charged with two counts of Assault in the Second Degree with a $250,000 warrant out for his arrest.

In the charging documents the prosecutor expressed great concern for the community’s safety with Mendez-Zendeja on the loose. Despite having no prior convictions on his record he is believed to be gang affiliated and is clearly armed and dangerous.

As always with Crime Stoppers involved there is a $1000 cash reward for any information leading to the suspect’s arrest. To leave a tip with Crime Stoppers call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or visit their website at crimestoppers.com.

To text in tips start by typing in CRIMES (274637) in the TO line then type TIP486 followed by your tip in the message box and hit send.