TACOMA, Wash. — A 47-year-old Tacoma man pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted murder and vehicular assault while driving under the influence Wednesday afternoon.
Jeffery A. Poland is accused of shooting a woman sitting in her car at a Tacoma intersection earlier this month. He's also accused of causing a crash that pinned a man between two cars on South Tacoma Way, partially severing his legs. Both incidents happened on Feb. 5.
The victim had to have one leg amputated, but the other was able to be reattached, according to court documents.
A judge agreed to set Poland's bail at $2 million given the severity of the charges.
Poland's lawyer argued the bail amount was too high.
“He’s been a member of this community for decades with no issues, no similar types of violent behavior, and at this point, these are simply just allegations," said defense attorney Woori Cheh. "So as more information comes to light, if at some point he may need some assistance and help, we just want to make sure that he’s able to get the help that he needs.”
Officers were first notified of a shooting around 1:37 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the intersection of South 35th Street and Union Avenue.
The victim was hit four times, including in the neck and torso, according to court documents. The victim said the suspect was driving a black pickup truck and fled southbound on Union Avenue.
Shortly after, Tacoma police officers learned about a crash at South 52nd Street and South Tacoma Way, according to court documents.
When an officer arrived on the scene, he found a man pinned between his vehicle and another car, partially severing both of his legs.
Witnesses of the crash reported the victim was walking around the back of his truck when a black Toyota, driven by Poland, collided with the car behind the victim's truck, trapping him between the two vehicles, according to court documents.
Witnesses were trying to help the victim when Poland got out of his car and pointed a gun at one of the witnesses and the victim, according to court documents.
The witnesses fled to a nearby clubhouse and the victim attempted to crawl away from the scene. Poland got back into his truck before an officer arrived on the scene and called for an ambulance. The officer noted Poland was slightly dazed and "obviously intoxicated," according to court documents.
Poland then pulled out a compact semi-automatic pistol, causing the officer to pull out his gun and order the suspect to drop his weapon. The suspect threw his gun at the officer, according to court documents.
The suspect then pulled another weapon from his truck which he threw at the officer's feet after the officer instructed Poland to drop it, according to court documents.
The officer then began applying tourniquets on the victim's legs.
When other officers arrived on the scene, they noted Poland was "visibly intoxicated" and one officer claimed he was "overwhelmed by the strong odor of alcohol" emanating from where Poland was seated in a patrol car, court documents said.
After the officers learned of the shooting that happened earlier Saturday morning, they were able to find surveillance video from the shooting scene that showed a man matching Poland's appearance driving a black Toyota pickup with distinct wheels that matched his truck, according to court documents.
The Toyota fled in a direction consistent with Poland's alleged involvement in the DUI crash, according to court documents. The crash scene was just a short distance from the scene of the shooting.
The bullets recovered from the victim and the victim's car match a gun found on Poland and shell casings found in his truck, according to court documents.
Poland was also accused of waving a gun around in a bar and a hookah lounge earlier that night, according to police. Those incidents are still under investigation and more charges could be filed, the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney's Office said.
Currently, Poland faces a first-degree attempted murder charge, two charges of assault in the first degree, one charge of vehicular assault - DUI, and two charges of second-degree assault, according to court documents.