A 44-year-old Battle Ground man is being held on $400,000 bail after court documents laid out how a road-rage confrontation on a residential street escalated into gunfire, sending at least one bullet into the wall of a home while a family was inside. Theodore Seaman was booked into the Clark County Jail following the Sept. 19 shooting, and a juvenile passenger who fled the scene on foot was later found and is cooperating with investigators.
According to court documents detailed by The Reflector, the confrontation began when residents were returning from church and a silver Nissan sedan struck a curb while passing around their pickup truck on Northeast 12th Street. The driver then reportedly yelled at the residents, pointed a firearm toward the home, and fired at least two gunshots, with a witness saying the driver appeared to fire shots into the air as the car sped off.
Dispatch, Chase and a Bullet Hole
Battle Ground police received a high-priority disturbance call at approximately 1:55 p.m. Sept. 19 reporting activity in the 1700 block of Northeast 12th Street, according to a City of Battle Ground news release, though KPTV separately described the response area as the intersection of Northeast 12th Street and Northeast 17th Avenue. Witnesses told police they saw two men inside the sedan, with multiple gunshots fired from the vehicle as it fled, per the city’s account.
Investigators later documented an apparent bullet hole on the eastern-facing exterior wall of the residence, and a resident occupied the room closest to that hole, according to the court documents reported by The Reflector. Officers determined the gunfire created a risk of serious injury to people inside the home, and several residents were placed at risk when shots were fired in the residential area, though no injuries were ultimately reported.
Chase to the State Park
The suspect vehicle was described as a silver Nissan sedan traveling in the direction of Battle Ground Lake State Park, per the city’s newsflash. Court documents reviewed by The Reflector add that the car was headed toward the park via Heisson Road, and that responding agencies included the Clark County Sheriff’s Office, Vancouver Police Department and Washington State Patrol…