Judge Sets Bail At $250,000.00 For Suspect In Friday’s Vehicle Explosion at Everett Fred Meyer Store

The words Satanic and Panic were spray painted on the vehicle.

The blast did about $50k in damage to the grocery entrance of the store.

Everett Firefighters kept the fire from spreading into the store.

This afternoon Everett District Court Judge Anthony Howard found there was probable cause to hold a 57-year-old man from Olympia on a quarter-of-a-million-dollars bond for 1st degree arson and 1st degree malicious mischief after last Friday evening he reportedly drove his car into the grocery entrance of the Fred Meyer store on Evergreen Way in south Everett and set it on fire. “in essence you made a bomb out of a vehicle” Judge Howard remarked before ordering the $250k bond and requiring a mental health evaluation for the man before any release.

According to documents filed by Everett Police in the case the man had multiple gas cans in the vehicle along with a propane cylinder that he frequently vented. The documents say the man told officers he was trying to get the attention of law enforcement so he could “speak to the FBI about satanic stalking he believed he was experiencing”.

After about an hour after he crashed his car into the store the man allegedly caused the vehicle to explode. By the time of the explosion Everett Police had evacuated the store of customers and employees and moved everyone including first responders away from the car. The explosion reportedly did at least $50,000.00 in damage to Fred Meyer. Everett Firefighters were able to keep the flames from extending from the blast area into the store.

The Snohomish County Prosecutor has until 5:00 PM Wednesday the 28th to file formal charges.