Court filings show the case grew from assault and robbery allegations into a broader felony prosecution after detectives reviewed witness accounts and evidence.
TACOMA, Wash. — Pierce County prosecutors say a Tacoma man who chased a carload of teenagers after a water balloon hit his vehicle now faces attempted murder and other felony charges in a case that began with what police described as a prank gone violently wrong.
Why the case matters now is not only the shooting itself, but the way the prosecution has developed. Early reporting centered on assault, robbery and unlawful firearm possession. Later charging records cited by local media added attempted first-degree murder and felony harassment counts, and the court increased bail. That shift shows prosecutors believe the confrontation was not a split-second act alone but a chain of deliberate decisions supported by threats, close-range gunfire and evidence gathered after the suspect left the scene.
The charging picture is unusually heavy for a case triggered by something so minor. According to KOMO, Majeed Guerry, 31, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, four counts of first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm and multiple counts of felony harassment involving threats to kill. FOX 13 reported he pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors argued he posed a danger to the community and noted that, if convicted, he could face a substantial prison sentence. The legal posture changed over several days in March, with one report placing bail at $150,000 after an earlier hearing and a later report saying the court raised it to $300,000 at re-arraignment on March 25. The victim, meanwhile, survived a gunshot wound that investigators said came close to being fatal.
The court narrative goes back to the night of Feb. 28. Police say four teenagers were driving through Tacoma and throwing water balloons at passing vehicles. One balloon hit a silver sedan and sent water through an open window, getting the driver wet. Investigators say the driver followed the teens into a dead-end gravel lot in the 3200 block of South Tyler Street and blocked them in. That location, near Mullen Street and the Tacoma dump, became the setting for the confrontation described in charging documents. According to local reports quoting those records, the driver got out with a handgun, went to the passenger side of the teens’ car and began shouting threats. One of the statements attributed to him was, “You think that’s funny?” Another, reported from the affidavit, warned that the boys could die for throwing water at his car.
Prosecutors say the confrontation did not stop at threats. Witnesses told police the gunman demanded money and property from all four teens while pointing the weapon around the car. Law&Crime reported that he allegedly said he should kill the group and demanded, “Give me all your” belongings. Investigators said one teen first handed over $1, which the suspect rejected, then later gave him about $100 in cash. The front-seat passenger was singled out for violence, according to police accounts. Investigators say the suspect hit that teen in the face with the gun, pressed the weapon against him and fired a shot from less than a foot away. KOMO reported the bullet entered the chest and exited through the armpit. The teen survived and was able to talk with police, a key factor in helping detectives assemble the timeline almost immediately after the shooting.
The evidence trail described by investigators helps explain why the case escalated in court. KOMO reported detectives used surveillance video, license plate reader data and cellphone records to connect a silver Kia K5 to the chase and to Guerry. Video from a nearby casino later showed a man in clothes matching the witnesses’ description, according to court records cited by the station. KING and KOMO reported that all four victims separately identified Guerry in photo montages. Police arrested him on March 20. The firearm had still not been recovered in the reports available, which leaves one important gap in the physical evidence. But prosecutors appear to believe witness consistency, the injury pattern, vehicle tracking and post-incident surveillance were enough to support the more serious filing.
The background described in the reports adds another layer to the prosecution’s argument. Local coverage said Guerry was barred from possessing a gun because of prior felony convictions, and FOX 13 described him as a four-time convicted felon. That matters because the firearm allegation stands on its own and also shapes how prosecutors frame public safety risk. In court, they argued for higher bail, citing his record and the seriousness of the allegations. The case therefore sits at the intersection of several legal questions at once: intent, threatened violence, robbery, possession of a gun by a prohibited person and whether the close-range shot supports an attempted murder theory rather than only assault. Those questions will likely define the case far more than the prank that set the event in motion.
There is still room for dispute as the case moves forward. The reports available publicly rely mainly on charging papers, probable cause affidavits and police accounts, which reflect the prosecution’s version of events at this stage. The defense position reported so far is limited to Guerry’s not-guilty plea. No trial evidence has been tested in court, and the missing gun could remain a contested issue. Even so, the records already made public paint a stark progression: a water balloon, a pursuit, a blocked-in car, repeated threats, a robbery demand, blunt-force blows with a pistol and a shot fired at point-blank range.
As of the latest local reporting, the case remained active in Pierce County Superior Court with Guerry jailed on bail and facing the expanded set of counts. The next milestones are the routine but critical ones of a felony case: further hearings, evidence disclosure, motions and decisions about how prosecutors ultimately present the attempted murder charge.
Author note: Last updated April 17, 2026.