Deputies: Suspected carjacker in OfferUp meet-up, brutal beating, in custody

GRAHAM, Wash. — A man who deputies say is responsible for a brutal assault and carjacking near Graham in December is in custody, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department announced Thursday.

Deputies say the man brutally assaulted an 18-year-old on Dec. 29 while posing as a prospective buyer for the victim’s 2002 Audi.

The victim, Xavier Gamez, was joined by his grandfather and met the suspect at a Safeway. Gamez joined the man on a test drive but never returned.

About 30 minutes after the two left for the test drive, Gamez was found by a passing motorist on the side of the road.

Deputies say Gamez had life-threatening injuries that left him in a coma for several days.

The suspect, a 39-year-old man from the Graham area, was identified through witness interviews and search warrants and was taken into custody on Wednesday, deputies said.

Detectives said they impounded the man’s vehicle and searched his residence for additional evidence.

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