Man allegedly crashed car while chasing assault victim

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 3, 2017

A Coupeville man is facing felony charges for allegedly flashing a gun and assaulting a man and then crashing a car while chasing the victim on the highway, according to court documents.

Juan J. Melena, 19, was emotional as he appeared in Island County Superior Court Thursday afternoon.

Judge Alan Hancock found that probable cause existed to believe Melena committed the crimes of robbery in the first degree and trafficking in stolen property in the first degree.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme asked that Melena be held on $45,000 bail because of the seriousness of the offense, the fact that it involved a firearm and the risk that he would flee.

Melena’s attorney, Clare Bogdanowicz, asked for a lower bail. She said he lives with his parents in Coupeville. She pointed out that his own criminal history is a 2013 drug case.

Hancock agreed with Ohme, however, and ordered Melena to be held in lieu of a $45,000 bail bond.

The victim, a 34-year-old Whidbey man, reported to police that his car was stolen Feb. 13. It was recovered the same day, but an amplifier and other items were missing. The victim was contacted by another man, who claimed he recovered the amplifier in Bellingham and would sell it back for $300, according to a report by a detective with the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

The victim set up a meeting at the Safeway parking lot in Oak Harbor for Feb. 26, but a stranger — later identified as Melena — showed up instead, according to the police report. The two men sat inside a car.

The man set the money on the console and Melena handed him a bag containing an amplifier. The man, however, saw that all the components were missing from the amplifier and refused to pay.

The man claimed Melena lifted his shirt, revealing a handgun. The victim told Melena to get out of the car. Melena allegedly threw the amplifier at the other man, hitting him in the temple and injuring him, the report states. Melena attempted, unsuccessfully, to grab the money, according to court documents.

As the man was driving away, he noticed a car coming up behind him at a high rate of speed on the highway. He later realized it was Melena, according to the police report.

The victim reported that Melena drove on the right shoulder and passed him, lost control and spun into the ditch.

The report indicates that nobody was injured in the crash.

In an interview with police Tuesday, Melena claimed that the other man had pulled a gun on him. He claimed he disarmed the man and threw the gun out the window while driving on the highway, the report states.