Man allegedly brandishes gun at dirt bikers

Police arrested a Clark County man Wednesday on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a tense confrontation with a group of dirt bikers north of Washougal last weekend.

The incident, which was captured on video and posted to Facebook (contains explicit language) Monday morning, shows a man holding a pistol and warning the riders to leave his property Sunday afternoon. Though the footage is unclear, the riders say the man fired off several shots from a distance before approaching the group.

After investigating the incident this week, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office arrested Darrin K. Diegel, 47, and booked him into the Clark County Jail on suspicion of second-degree assault. Police have not said whether the shots were targeted at anyone, but no one was injured in the incident.

Since Monday, the video has taken on a life of its own, picking up nearly 200,000 views on Facebook in a little more than 48 hours.

The video — recorded with a GoPro strapped to the top of a helmet — shows Jered Parker of Vancouver riding his dirt bike on a trail near the Jones Creek off-road-vehicle area in the Yacolt Burn State Forest. Parker skids to a frantic halt and dismounts his bike after hearing several quick pops, which he said were gunshots.

Then, Diegel approaches with a chrome-top pistol in hand, accusing Parker of trespassing and demanding that he and the others turn around and get off his property.

Parker quickly left and called police. In the call, Parker can be heard saying that he feared he’d be shot if he returned to his truck.

Jessica Gerlack, of Spokane Valley, said her ex-husband and 7-year-old daughter were riding close behind Parker and witnessed the incident.

“My 7-year-old is traumatized,” Gerlack said. “The guy shot at them. Five shots, and it’s all on video.”