A 19-year-old man from Vancouver faces a handful of charges, including robbery and assault, stemming from a fight between two groups of friends at a park nearly a year ago.
Vancouver police arrested Miguel Melendez on Tuesday on suspicion of two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of first-degree assault, identity theft and theft.
Melendez made an initial court appearance Wednesday. Clark County Superior Court Judge Suzan Clark set Melendez’s bail at $100,000 and an arraignment date of May 23, court records show.
The arrest and court hearing come nearly a year after the alleged incident. On May 22, 2017, Vancouver police officers were dispatched to 4297 S.E. 192nd Ave., referred to by police as Overlook Park, for the report of a weapons disturbance.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the officers interviewed then-20-year-old Karam Jaber, who reported that he and several friends had been drinking and listening to music with a group of six other males they knew from school and from seeing them around.
A second victim listed in the affidavit, a 20-year-old man, told police he gave his cellphone to one of the males in the other group to pick music. That person then refused to give the phone back, and a fight broke out.
Melendez, who the victims identified only as “HP,” pulled out a handgun, pointed it at Jaber’s face and demanded his wallet and phone, the affidavit says. Jaber ran away and immediately heard a gunshot, Jaber told police.
“Jaber believed he was being shot at,” the affidavit says.
Jaber ran and hid in some bushes but was found and assaulted by another man with the other group. His tooth was chipped as a result, and another shot rang out during that time, the affidavit says.
The other victim told police he was also punched in the face and threatened with a gun. He said his phone and wallet fell out of his pockets as he ran away from the park.
Investigators later tied Melendez to purchases made with that victim’s debit card at a Vancouver gas station about a half-hour after the park incident, according to the affidavit.
During a police interview, Melendez denied any involvement in the fight at the park or using the debit card at the gas station.
