Clark County law enforcement arrested a 22-year-old suspect Friday believed to be responsible for two robberies and a kidnapping that prompted several school lockdowns last week.
County deputies along with Safe Street Task Force officers and U.S. Marshals Service arrested Dominique Ray Holland on suspicion of second-degree assault, first-degree robbery, first-degree kidnapping, burglary, vehicle theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Holland appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Monday morning, although a judge had already found probable cause existed to jail him over the weekend, said Judge Bernard Veljacic.
Deputy prosecuting attorney Brian Pruett asked the judge to set bail at $1 million. Pruett said there was concern about public safety and the possibility Holland would flee if he posted bail.
The prosecutor listed Holland’s criminal history, which dated back to at least 2007 and included convictions for attempting to elude police, possession and trafficking of stolen property, assault and “numerous other misdemeanor history.”
Veljacic spent several moments reading through the allegations before setting Holland’s bail at $100,000.
Authorities made the arrest after Vancouver Police Department Major Crimes Team detectives determined Holland allegedly carried out a series of random crimes that began in the early morning hours of Sept. 10, according to a VPD news release.
Officers were called to a robbery and vehicle theft around 2:15 a.m. in the 3500 block of East 21st Street, in Vancouver’s Maplewood neighborhood.
The victim reported that he arrived home, and within a minute, heard a knock at his door. His girlfriend answered the door, and an unknown man pushed his way inside and pointed a firearm at the couple, demanding money and their car keys. The couple complied with the demand, and the man fled in their Volkswagen Passat, police said.
According to a probable cause affidavit, the man told the girlfriend he “would shoot her too,” causing the woman to fear for her life.
About three hours later, Vancouver police responded to the 8000 block of Northwest Bacon Road in the West Hazel Dell neighborhood for a report of a disturbance with a weapon.
The victim, a security guard, said he was unlocking a gate near the entrance of Vancouver Lake Regional Park when a vehicle pulled up behind him — a Passat, which had its hazard lights flashing, according to the affidavit.
The driver left the Passat and forced the security guard into the passenger’s side of his security vehicle at gunpoint. The suspect then drove the man to a residence in the county.
While the security guard, identified in court documents as Marshall L. Cox, was sitting in the passenger seat, the carjacker pointed a gun at him the entire time, according to the affidavit.
“(Cox) tried to engage (Holland) in conversation to keep him calm,” the affidavit says. “Marshall Cox stated that the male informed him that he went by the name ‘Bully.’ ”
The assailant forced the security guard into the trunk of the vehicle. The victim was able to call 911 and jumped out of the trunk, police said.
Police canvassed the area, prompting several schools, including Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin elementary schools, Vancouver School of Arts and Academics and Discovery Middle School, into lockdown.
Police were unable to locate a suspect that day, but the stolen vehicles were located. The couple in the home invasion and the security guard were uninjured.
On Thursday, police received an anonymous tip claiming Holland matched the description of the man wanted in the kidnapping. A records check revealed Holland has gone by the nickname Bully, and his physical description matched those given by the victims in the case, according to the affidavit.
Investigators presented a photo lineup of potential suspects to the victims, and they all picked Holland, according to the affidavit.
Holland is set to be arraigned on the charges on Sept. 28.
