A Pierce County man is behind bars, accused of taking his toddler with him during a drive-by shooting that targeted other family members.
Investigators say the suspect drove up to his sister’s apartment in Parkland around 3 p.m. Wednesday and fired shots, one hitting his sister’s SUV.
Body cam video shows Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies arresting 29-year-old Sergio Reyes Cuevas outside his Parkland apartment.
On the video, cries are heard in the background from Cuevas’ one-year-old daughter.
“A sense of urgency – now we have a one-year-old child involved in a very traumatic domestic violence situation that can turn sour at any point,” said Deputy Carly Cappetto with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
According to court documents, Cuevas made previous threats to kill family members before he went to his sister’s and her husband’s apartment and fired shots.
No one was hurt.
The couple called 911 and told deputies that Cuevas may have had a drug relapse, and they could find him at his nearby apartment on Pacific Avenue.
Cappetto says Cuevas slammed the door on deputies as they urged him to surrender.
“He does finally come to the door and opens it, holding the child in front of him, using the child as a shield to prevent deputies from using any force against him,” said Cappetto. “One of the deputies immediately kind of rushes into place his foot in the door.”
After several minutes of negotiating, Cuevas surrendered.
Investigators say they found bullet casings and holes all over the apartment, including the child’s bedroom.
A neighbor told KIRO 7 that Cuevas was showing erratic behavior days earlier, and she heard shots coming from the next-door unit.
“A shot went off. I was upstairs playing video games with my daughter. I barricaded the girls – kinda hunkered down for a while,” said the neighbor.
Investigators say the suspect’s daughter was not hurt and she is now safe with her mother.
Cuevas, a five-time convicted felon, faces several more felony charges.
He’s being held on $200,000 bail, and his next court date is set for April 23.