Police, fire roundup: Gunman robs Mike's Eastside Drugs: He escapes with cash, prescription medication

Nov 19, 2008 (The Columbian - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- TM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- A masked gunman held up Mike's Eastside Drugs at 8506 E. Mill Plain Blvd. on Tuesday, ordering people onto the floor and telling them not to get up for 10 minutes.

The robber escaped with the store's cash and some prescription drugs, said Sgt. Troy Price with the Vancouver Police Department.

Officers were called to the scene shortly after 6 p.m., arrived quickly and took positions around the area.

Police then learned no one had called 911 until several minutes after the robbery, as ordered by the gunman.

Without the delay, "We probably would have been right on him," said Price, who said patrol cars had been in the area.

The robber was described as white, 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes.

Price said he was aware of no recent robberies by the same person.

He wore a camouflage sweatshirt with the word "Vans" on the chest, a dark ski mask and light-blue jeans, Price said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 360-487-7400.

Man jailed after crash in Hazel Dell

A 51-year-old man was in the Clark County Jail on Tuesday, one night after he allegedly caused a two-vehicle head-on crash in the 6700 block of Northeast Highway 99 in Hazel Dell -- then hid in a room at the nearby Kay's Motel for nearly two hours.

Vili Fifita of Vancouver was being held on suspicion of vehicular assault and felony hit-and-run driving, a jail employee said Tuesday night. His bail was set at $25,000 and he is to appear in court this morning.

A Beaverton man, Seong Kim, 52, in the other car was hurt in the collision, as was his female passenger, In Kim, 53, also of Beaverton.

Both were released from Southwest Washington Medical Center on Tuesday.

Deputies said the crash happened about 9:40 p.m. Monday, when Fifita was driving his Ford F250 pickup north on Highway 99 and turned in front of Kim's Toyota 4Runner. The two vehicles collided head-on.

Fifita then allegedly exited the pickup and ran off.

Rescuers with Fire District 6 and sheriff's deputies immediately called for two American Medical Response ambulances to rush to the scene with flashing lights and sirens activated.

Sheriff's deputies quickly brought a K-9 team to the scene, but said the dog was going in circles near the crash, possibly picking up no scent.

Deputies soon radioed that it was likely the man who ran off was hiding in a unit of the motel. Deputies knocked on all doors in an attempt to find him.

Police also had the name of the registered owner of the car the man fled from.

Sheriff's Sgt. John Horch said deputies spoke with occupants of Unit 6, but the Tongan Pacific Islander folks inside first said the man was not there.

However, Horch said, deputies looked up the registration of the car the suspect drove and noticed that the owner too has a Tongan name. The arrested man is Tongan, but doesn't own the car, Horch said.

When deputies returned to Unit 6 with stronger questions about 11:30 p.m., the occupants allowed them to enter. Deputies then found Fifita hiding in a back room, Horch said.

Fifita had no visible injuries.

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