Docs provide new details after man reportedly blew up car after driving it into Everett Fred Meyer

A 56-year-old Olympia man who drove through the entrance of a Fred Meyer store in Everett and started a car fire was arrested for investigation of second-degree arson and first-degree malicious mischief, according to documents filed by the Everett Police Department.

According to the documents, an officer was waved down by a Fred Meyer employee just after 6 p.m. on Friday, as the employee pointed out a black Chrysler sedan with no license plates and white spray paint on the outside that read “satanic” and “satanic panic.” The car was facing the south entrance to the Fred Meyer store.

The employee told police that the car’s driver was “acting strangely and not responding to the requests for him to move his vehicle,” according to documents.

The officer got out of his car to approach the suspect vehicle, which was slowly rolling toward the entrance of the store. As the driver of the car continued toward the store, the officer smelled gasoline and propane and saw two gas cans inside the car.

Police said the driver was wearing a filtered respirator around his neck, “presumably so that he would not pass out due to the fumes from the propane and gasoline filling his vehicle.”

The man reportedly acknowledged the officer’s presence and said something to the effect of, “I’m going to blow this.” The officer indicated in the documents that there were about 50 people in the vicinity of the entrance to the store who could’ve been injured or killed by the man as he drove toward the store.

As the man continued to drive toward the entrance, the officer saw a large propane tank in the backseat of the car along with two large torch lighters in the man’s hands. The officer hit the driver’s side window with his flashlight and commanded the man to stop.

Police say the man ignored the officer’s commands and drove into the doors of the store, causing an estimated $20,000 to $30,000 in damage.

Once the man had driven through the front doors, he stopped the car with the two front tires past the threshold of the entrance. He then put the car in park and turned it off after multiple commands to do so.

The man told officers that he wanted to “speak to the FBI” and that he was being hunted by “satanic daemons.” As officers negotiated with the man to step out of the vehicle, he repeatedly poured gasoline on the floorboard and pointed torch lighters at the gas cans, threatening to blow up the car.

Officers continued to negotiate with the man until he finally exited the car and crouched inside the open driver side door, at which point the car exploded and was engulfed in flames. According to documents, the man crawled away from the car on his hands and knees before being pulled away by officers.

Because of the alleged intentional damage to the store’s doors and the intentional act of pre-planning the car’s explosion, officers arrested the man for investigation of first-degree malicious mischief and second-degree assault. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail.