BLYN — A fugitive wanted for attempted murder, and who escaped a dragnet Thursday, led Clallam County Sheriff’s deputies on a short chase at about midnight Sunday before disappearing into the woods south of Blyn, Sheriff’s Sgt. Nick Turner said today.
Mario W. Hackney, 45, of Port Angeles was spotted near Blyn driving the white Nissan Quest minivan that deputies had previously found at the home of friends of Hackney in Diamond Point, Turner said.
The deputies had left the van at the residence, and were watching to see if Hackney would come back for it, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“We got a call that the van was moving,” Turner said.
Deputies intercepted the van near Blyn and chased it about 4 miles up Woods Road, where it crashed into an embankment, he said.
“[Hackney] got out of the car and ran into the woods,” Turner said.
Sheriff’s deputies brought in a tracking dog to attempt to locate Hackney in the woods, but he eluded law enforcement.
Turner said deputies today were checking locations Hackney is known to frequent.
The van was towed and impounded, Turner said.
Hackney is wanted on a probable-cause arrest warrant for attempted murder that was issued by the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday in connection with shots fired at a man in west Port Angeles earlier that day.
The man was not hit by the shotgun blast.
The minivan was found Sunday morning at a home in Diamond Point, an unincorporated community between Blyn and Gardiner at the eastern end of the county, far from the scene of the shooting near the William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles.
Deputies said that Hackney was at the residence on Saturday but was gone when they arrived Sunday morning.
The van was known to have been used by Hackney, deputies said.
Hackney allegedly fired a shotgun after a man arrived at a home in the 200 block of Cameron Road on Thursday morning to pick up a woman there, Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Lyman Moores has said.
The woman came out of the house screaming at him to leave, Moores said.
Neither the man nor the woman involved has been identified by law enforcement.
Hackney, who was described as a close friend of the woman, allegedly stepped out from behind a shed and pointed a shotgun at the man, who was standing beside the truck about 35 feet away.
The man jumped back in the truck and was attempting to back up when he saw Hackney raise the shotgun higher and point it at him.
The driver ducked and was not hit, but the blast hit the side of the pickup, which went backward down a hill, spun around and crashed into a ditch, according to law enforcement.
The driver injured his hands while running from the scene, authorities said.
Hackney fled, triggering a multi-agency ground and air search in which deputies and law enforcement with the State Patrol, Sequim police and Lower Elwha Klallam tribe, aided by a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter as well as canine trackers, searched the area of Cameron Road south of U.S. Highway 101.
The aerial and ground search was suspended at 8 p.m. Thursday, but deputies continued to search Friday in the same area, Clallam County Chief Criminal Deputy Ron Cameron has said.
The shotgun used by Hackney on Thursday has not been recovered, and he is considered to be armed and dangerous, Turner said Monday.
Hackney, who is white, stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 190 pounds. He has several tattoos on both arms and his chest.
Anyone who sees Hackney is advised to call 9-1-1 and not approach him.
Chadwick Cargo, 40, a neighbor of Hackney’s on Cameron Road, was arrested Sunday for investigation of first-degree rendering criminal assistance, said county Deputy Prosecuting Attorney John Troberg.
Authorities allege that Cargo provided transportation to Hackney.
Troberg said he plans to file a charge Wednesday.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
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EARLIER STORY:
DIAMOND POINT — A minivan associated with a man wanted in a shooting just west of Port Angeles earlier this week has turned up in east Clallam County, although the wanted fugitive is still at large and may have changed his appearance, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said.
The white Nissan Quest van was found Sunday morning at a home in Diamond Point, an unincorporated community between Blyn and Gardiner at the eastern end of the county, far from the scene of the alleged shooting near Clallam County’s airport Thursday.
The van was known to have been used by Mario W. Hackney, 45, of Port Angeles, the sheriff’s office said.
Sheriff’s officials said they were told by witnesses that Hackney had stayed at the home in Diamond Point on Saturday.
“They were people who knew him,” said Undersheriff Ron Peregrin.
It was not known if the minivan was left behind because Hackney had fled on foot or whether he had changed to another vehicle, Peregrin said.
The sheriff’s office also said it had received information indicating that Hackney may be wearing some kind of disguise.
No description of the disguise has been released.
Hackney is wanted on a probable-cause arrest warrant for attempted murder.
The warrant was issued Friday, and Hackney remained at large throughout the weekend.
The sheriff’s office has advised anyone who sees Hackney to call 9-1-1 and do not approach him.
The episode began Thursday morning, the sheriff’s office said, at a home in the 200 block of Cameron Road when a man stopped to pick up a woman, and the woman refused to get in the car and began screaming at him to leave.
Neither the man nor the woman involved has been identified by law enforcement.
Hackney, who was described as a friend of the woman, allegedly stepped out from behind a shed and pointed a shotgun at the man, who got in a pickup truck about 35 feet away.
The driver ducked and was not hit, but the blast hit the side of the pickup, which went backward down a hill, spun around and crashed into a ditch, according to the report.
The driver injured his hands while running from the scene, authorities said.
Hackney also fled the scene, triggering the manhunt.
“All of our deputies continue to search [for Hackney], in addition to their usual duties,” said Lorraine Shore, community policing services coordinator for Clallam County.
“Everyone in the county is looking for him,” she added.
It is possible that Hackney could leave the county, but he is thought to have remained in the area, officials said.
Hackney is a Port Angeles local and has few connections outside of the county, Peregrin said.
Law enforcement in nearby counties have been notified of the warrant for Hackney, and Clallam County law enforcement will continue to check with Hackney’s friends.
“We will continue to put on the pressure,” Peregrin said, adding that law enforcement has a list of addresses where Hackney has been known to be and will issue alerts for county residents to be on the lookout for him.
“The more people there are who are looking for him, the more complicated his life will be. The best possible outcome is if he turns himself in,” Peregrin said.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
