Woman says she was inside her car when man with gun, crowbar smashed windshield at gas station

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A Federal Way woman told KIRO 7 that a man with a gun, whom she’d never seen before, smashed her car windshield with a crowbar at a gas station last week in an unprovoked attack.

The woman, who did not want to be publicly identified, said she had stopped at the Chevron at 356th Street and Enchanted Parkway South in Federal Way to get gas around 1 a.m. Friday. She said she then noticed one of her tires needed air and pulled up to the air pump.

“Crouched down, like this, putting air in – I always watch my surroundings and noticed a guy walking towards the store and so I’m watching him,” said the woman in an interview with KIRO 7.

The woman said the limping man, who she described as wearing a hoodie with a bandanna across his face, never entered the store but instead headed toward her.

“I just got a weird feeling – I’m like, OK creep,” she said. “So I put the hose down; once I put the hose down he starts running, skipping towards me, so I run, jump in the car and then he lifts up his hoodie.”

She said the man flashed a gun and then pulled a crowbar from his pants.

“He just took out the crowbar and was like, ‘[expletive]!’” she said “And was just smashing and smashing the window.”

The woman shared with KIRO 7 pictures of her car that showed a shattered windshield, with pieces of glass on the seat and floor of the car. The windshield had since been repaired.

"I just made eye contact with him kind of like, what are you doing, dude? And then I just reversed and left,” she said. “Never seen him a day in my life.”

A Federal Way police commander confirmed to KIRO 7 Monday that officers did take a report from the woman but did not immediately provide additional information about a possible motive or whether they had made any arrests. The woman told KIRO 7 she had not been informed of any arrests and has struggled to deal with what happened to her.

“I felt unsafe, I felt uncomfortable and I just kept having these crying spells,” she said. “I’m just like, wow, I can’t believe that happened to me, like, I almost lost my life.”

Two clerks at the gas station told KIRO 7 they were aware of what happened and indicated there was surveillance video. A corporate representative, reached by phone Monday, said we would need to request the surveillance video from police.

The woman whose car was damaged hopes sharing her story serves as a reminder for others to always be aware of their surroundings. A Facebook post of hers explaining what happened had nearly 2,000 shares Monday.

“I think, what if I didn’t have a fast reaction time?” she said. “This has definitely urged me to go get my [concealed pistol license].”

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