Violence has struck again in Tacoma. Jeffrey Poland, 47, has been charged with attempted murder and several counts of assault. On his first court appearance Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court, Poland entered not guilty pleas to the charges. Poland is accused of shooting a driver several times before pinning another man between two parked vehicles in Tacoma early Saturday and was “obviously intoxicated” when officers confronted him. He was being held Wednesday at the Pierce County Jail in lieu of a $2 million bond.
Poland ran the vehicle the victims were in off the road on 35th Street and Union Avenue early Saturday morning. Poland then allegedly fired several shots at their car, striking Lily Valdez, who suffered injuries to her throat, abdomen, hip and shoulder. Valdez, the mother of two kids, was able to get to a Tacoma Public Utilities guard shack nearby to call for help, the man said.
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. Poland resisted orders when officers showed up and pulled out another pistol from his truck, prosecutors said. “The defendant’s actions post-collision prevented witnesses and the officer from providing immediate medical aid to the victim,”
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Lisa Wagner wrote to the court “Other officers noted that Poland was visibly intoxicated, and one noted that he was overwhelmed by the strong odor of alcohol that was emanating from the area where Poland was seated in a patrol car.”
Woori Cheh, the attorney for Poland, said: “He’s been a member of this community for decades with no issues, no similar type of violent behavior. At this point, these are simply allegations. So as more information comes to light… if it’s something that he may need… if these allegations are true, and he needs some assistance or help, we just want to make sure he’s able to get that help that he needs.”
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. Lily Valdez was taken off her ventilator Wednesday and is now breathing on her own, her sister reported. But she’s still in a lot of pain, she added.
