Man charged with drive-by shooting, hitting school bus
PUYALLUP, Wash. -- The convicted felon who allegedly crashed into a school bus full of children during his getaway from a drive-by shooting in a stolen car Tuesday in Puyallup is facing a litany of charges and being held on $1 million bail.
The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office has charged 32-year-old Sophead Chith with drive-by shooting, felony assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm, reckless driving, hit and run, and driving with a suspended license.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, Chith fired two gun shots while driving a stolen Honda Civic on Meridian Avenue and fired two more shots at a witness who started following him.
While trying to get away, Chith ran a red light, hit a school bus and drove off, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
A witness in a nearby apartment complex reported watching two men and two women strip the wheels off the Honda and abandon it in the apartment's parking lot before driving off in an Acura.
Pierce County Sheriff's deputies stopped the Acura a short time later. The two women in the car, Tiffany LaPlante and Sothea Chum, reported dropping Chith off a few blocks away, according to the Prosecutor's Office.
Chith was arrested in a nearby Walgreens parking lot.
“This is another example of the serious dangers posed by convicted felons illegally possessing firearms,” Prosecutor Mark Lindquist said in a press release. “Thankfully and luckily, the victim of the drive-by shooting, the school children and their bus driver all escaped injury.”
Chith, who was convicted of felony theft in 2012, will be arraigned Friday afternoon. He was arraigned Wednesday for possession of a stolen vehicle in an unrelated case.
LaPlante and Chum are being charged with possession of a stolen vehicle.
âThis is another example of the serious dangers posed by convicted felons illegally possessing firearms,â No what this is, is another example of someone who has repeatedly shown he should not be allowed out in society. Soon he will be turned loose yet again to do more.
32 years old, running around shooting, can't drive. I hope he goes away for a long time since he doesn't appreciate the freedom he has. What a loser.
@Pollywannacracker Correction, the freedom he HAD.... and I hope it stays that way for a long while.
Washington State is already tough on criminals with guns. If you plan to use a gun in Washington to commit a major crime, either 1) get away or else 2) be a young person or you'll die in jail. WA penalties are stiff, and offenders usually plea out unless one is so bad the prosecutor won't have it.
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By the way, to any gun-worshippers nearby, felons in Washington cannot have guns now. 2nd Amendment = N/A. There are three levels of felon. (Five levels in Indiana). The lowest level of felon is way less than mass murderer, or serial killer. Check it out and be sure you are not a potential felon
@Bob Owen Dream on. He will be lucky to get more than a couple years and will be turned loose to do it all over again.
@Bob Owen NOT... This state is about as soft on crime as they get. This POS will get a light slap on the wrist and be back out doing it again with in 2-3 years. That is the problem with the new gun laws. Everthing he did is a new feloney charge and they will plead him down to time served by the time he goes to trial.
I certainly hope that this crime is well worth many years in prison!! Unfortunately, I highly doubt it is....so...we need to change "another" law to make sure that people like this do not just get a slap on the wrist!!!
Now there's a group I want to hang with...... NOT! What a bunch of scumbag losers.
"The Pierce County Prosecutor's Office has charged 32-year-old Sophead Chith with drive-by shooting, felony assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm, reckless driving, hit and run, and driving with a suspended license."
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What about assault with a deadly weapon and attempted murder? You don't exactly go skeet shooting from the window of a moving car?
@what? They can always add charges. I'm hoping they do. I also hope the others get charged with being an accessory to the crime, even if after the fact, since they tried to help him escape.
Initial reaction of any such news - shock and dismay.Â
After conviction and sentencing - shock and dismay.Â
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And it goes on and on and on ....
Sophead?
 @Alikelystorey Next step after methhead?
32 year old? Time to pull the plug on this junk.
Hopefully its a third strike scenario. Time to quit giving this little boy chances.
gee, I wonder how he got the gun? which careless, oops, I mean responsible gun owner left his gun unlocked to be stolen, or who sold then without a background check.
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The system is broken when Felons can easily get guns.
@calapete - you mean there was a 'system' to make sure felons couldn't get guns? What 'system' would that have been? What makes you think the gun was necessarily stolen from a responsible gun owner and even if it were - doesn't mean the gun wasn't locked up. I am pretty sure people like this can devise ways to get a gun anytime, any place and anywhere they want to.
I think any felon caught with a firearm should be jailed with out bond. And if found guilty, life behind bars.
2 Strikes is enough.
Ideally we should have a judicial system for first timers, and a separate and harsher system for repeat offenders.
But felons caught recommitting with deadly weapons should be locked up for life.
Can we hope that the 3-strikes law will be applied?
Seems like there is no end of girls who love hanging out with bone-heads like these.
@Surveyor1 - not bone head, didn't you read the story? This time it was sop head. ;)
Why do we even pretend career felons are all better now and relaese them in the first place? The Three Strikes legislation is a step in the right direction. Bruce Harrell wanting to force businessowners to hire felons is not.
 @Citizen#3457899654 Bruce Harrell is also the stupidity behind Seattle attempting to ban guns from city buses, what else do you expect?
cut his head off
Why is he out if convicted of a felony in 2012? Hello, you live in the nanny state thats why...
Protect yourself and loved ones. Carry, get away if you can if not only hits COUNT! washington state is pro criminal look at the records.
What an outstanding citizen. He probably had a bad childhood I am sure itâs really not his fault. But should pass more laws that will stopâem. Â 3 hots and a cot 1year for you!
 @BocaBob Or, we could get serious about prison terms involving criminals that use guns, which is the one thing the media is general are not discussing amid this whole national gun control debate.Â
 @lakeview  @BocaBob That is the ONLY thing that would solve any gun problems since over 90% of firearms crimes are committed by already-convicted criminals.Â
 @lakeview  @NW-Economist  @BocaBob So they pass that cost on to the rest of us in terms of property damage and loss of life. Nice government.Â
 @NW-Economist  @BocaBob I don't think that this is a political issue as much as a financial issue. They don't want the lengthy (costly) trials, so they push plea deals. They don't want to pay to incarcerate people. They don't want to pay to monitor them on when they are out on probation.
 @lakeview  @BocaBob However, good luck telling that to the liberal judges and parole boards who are the same people that want to ban law abiding citizens from owning guns because those judges and parole boards refuse to keep the criminals in jail.Â
Oh man, we better ban felons from having guns.... hrm...... I seem to recall.......
If he was convicted of Felony theft in 2012 WHY IS HE OUT OF PRISON NOW?
 @Iarehere because it's 2013 ;-)
any pictures of this scum that put children in danger.
Why is this the same story repeated over and over and over. the tuba Man murderer back in lock up another of the tuba Man  murderers is in for gun violation. once caught loose the key.
 @Iarehere Because the liberal judges and parole boards release him. The same liberals that want to ban guns because they think it will keep criminals from having them....
Maybe he got the gun in the parking lot at the sportsman show at the fairgrounds? Hope they lock him up for a while but we all know how that goes.
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Doesn't he know it's illegal to steal cars, drive on a suspended license, and posses a firearm as a felon? What? Criminals don't break laws?
A felon breaking the law ? We need to pass a law to stop that from happening. Im guessing he has a long list of similar convictions and will be back out on the street very quickly.
I'm curious as to why The King Co. Prosecutor's Office is charging him. Puyallup is in Pierce Co.Â
 @lakeview --- I was wondering the same thing. I say let King County have him, if they want him.
 @lakeview That's an easy one: I made a really dumb typo in the story (too used to typing King County). I've correction the error. Thanks for pointing it out!
 @MichaelHarthorne I accept beer as payment.Â
@MichaelHarthorne @lakeview LMAO!!! You know, its 5:00 somewhere!
 @MichaelHarthorne  @lakeview Please bring the edit function back so that we all can "correction" our errors. ;-)
 @lakeview Hmm. That must violate some sort of journalistic ethics. At least I hope it does...
 @lakeview Mr. Mylon steadfastly stands by his decision not to infer any behavior regarding given names. Not only is it unfair, it can get you banned from KOMO for Incorrect Thinking. Therefore, I refuse to make any editorial opinions on the protagonist of this story. Should you  or others choose to make snarky comments, I will be forced to disavow any knowledge.Â
 @lakeview Maybe the  Honda was stolen in King County?Â
 @Getov Mylon Kind of like "Bussing" in the 70's in Seattle schools. Anyone remember that?
All charges but speeding will be dropped due to plea bargai. He will be out before 2 15 13.
@Getov Mylon @lakeview Like what? We'll give you one felon in possession and we get two aggravated assaults? I can see it now, the powers that be trying to "balance" their populations.
 @lakeview Maybe the two Counties have an exchange program? :)
 @Getov Mylon "The King County Prosecutor's Office has charged 32-year-old Sophead Chith with drive-by shooting, felony assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm, reckless driving, hit and run, and driving with a suspended license."
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I see a "possession of stolen vehicle," but nothing about stealing it.Â