Police: Man tries to carjack truck that's out of gas

AUBURN, Wash. — A man who tried to carjack a truck that had run out of gas on an Auburn highway didn’t get far.

The Washington State Patrol said when the truck ran out of gas on State Route 18 in south King County Tuesday, the owner called a family member for help.

Meanwhile, the driver was napping in the truck about 4:30 a.m. when 22-year-old Mason Eubanks knocked on the window and threatened to shoot the owner if he didn’t give up the truck, the WSP said.

The owner turned over the truck, fled the scene and called police.

Apparently, Eubanks didn’t think about why the truck might have been stopped on the side of a major highway.  When he tried to flee in the truck, it started only briefly and sputtered out after about 50 yards.

The Sultan man then got out of the useless truck and started walking down SR 18 as troopers were arriving at the scene. Police said Eubanks tried to hide, but was quickly found and arrested.

He was transported to the King County Jail and booked on robbery and vehicle theft charges.

Troopers and dogs searched the area but no weapon was found.

Eubanks had just been released from the Clark County Jail at 7:10 p.m. on Monday after he was booked on an outstanding warrant for an unknown criminal violation in 2009.

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