Vancouver men appear in court in alleged brandishing

Two men appeared Thursday in Clark County Superior Court in connection with an alleged brandishing incident in a Vancouver parking lot early this month.

Tyrel J. Griggs, 23, and Jordan R. Taylor, 22, both of Vancouver, were in court to each face an allegation of first-degree assault, according to court documents.

At about 9:40 p.m. Nov. 7, Vancouver police were called to a parking lot on the south side of 13707 N.E. 28th St., for a weapons disturbance. The caller reported that two men — one armed with a handgun and the other with a shotgun — were fighting with an unarmed man, according to an affidavit of probable cause.

The victims were later identified as a group of five people: Anthony Dizon, Casey Henderson, Kimberly Smoot, Luis Silva and Preston Higgs, the affidavit states.

A witness, Pierce Dunn, who wasn’t associated with the group, told police that he was sitting in the parking lot when a white car stopped by his vehicle. The driver, identified by police as Taylor, left the car, pulled a handgun from his waistband and pointed it at the group. The passenger, identified by police as Griggs, also left the car and grabbed a shotgun from the trunk. He racked the pump action and pointed the shotgun at the group, court records said.

The two alleged assailants left in their vehicle before police arrived.

The victims told police that Taylor and Griggs cocked and racked their weapons, pointed them at the group and said, “We’re going to waste you all,” according to court documents. No shots were fired.

On Wednesday, police served a search warrant at Griggs and Taylor’s residence in the 12600 block of Northeast 41st Street, as well as Taylor’s vehicle. Griggs was found to be in possession of a loaded .40-caliber handgun. Police found a pump action .410-gauge shotgun in Taylor’s car.

In separate interviews, both men admitted to being involved in the parking lot confrontation. Griggs said that the shotgun was unloaded. “Neither could provide a reasonable explanation to justify their actions,” the affidavit states.

During their hearings, bail was set at $75,000 for each. They will be arraigned Dec. 14, court records show.