Just by blind luck he didn’t hit anybody.”

Chris Ashcraft , Jefferson County Deputy Prosecutor

A former Seattle man who said he thought he was shooting at a bear when he opened fire at sheriff deputies during a drunken camping trip in the Olympics reached a plea deal with prosecutors Friday.

Luke A. Sisneros, 24, entered a pleading of guilty to reckless endangerment and driving under the influence Friday in Jefferson County Superior Court.

Sisneros was sentenced to 364 days in jail, with 363 days suspended, and credit for time served.

The sentence means Sisneros, who has since moved from Washington to New Mexico to live with his mother while looking for a job, will not face additional jail time in Jefferson County.

Sisneros was arrested in the early morning hours of Wednesday, April 21 on charges of suspicion of attempted first-degree assault of a police officer, reckless endangerment, driving under the influence, and carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle without a concealed pistol license.

Sisneros had been camping near Snow Creek Road near Quilcene when 911 dispatchers were alerted to a trespasser on Department of Natural Resources land.

When sheriff deputies tried to contact Sisneros at his campsite, he started shooting in their direction. Sisneros, who reeked of alcohol and marijuana when he was arrested, told authorities he started shooting because he was scared after he heard something near his campsite, and said he thought it was “like a bear or something.”

During Sisneros’ court appearance Friday, Deputy Prosecutor Chris Ashcraft said Sisneros was lucky no one was shot.

“Just by blind luck he didn’t hit anybody,” Ashcraft said.

Ashcraft also noted that since his release on bail, Sisneros has undergone a drug-and-alcohol evaluation.

“It looks like he really did take this seriously,” Ashcraft said.

“It seems like this is out of character for him and hopefully we won’t see him again,” he added.

Sisneros has worked diligently to meet all of the court’s requests, said Scott Emmett Wonder, Sisneros’ attorney. 

The incident has made a lifelong impression on him, his attorney added, and noted that Sisneros had a fear of the police given where he grew up.

“This was all quite an overwhelming event for him,” Wonder told Judge Keith Harper.

Wonder also said Sisneros had completed nearly 100 hours of community service before he moved from Seattle.

“He has expressed great remorse for this,” Wonder said.

Sisneros was still very nervous as he appeared on Zoom for his hearing, his attorney said, and he declined to say anything before he was sentenced.

Harper agreed to the sentencing recommendation reached by the prosecutor’s office and Sisneros’ attorney. The judge also agreed to reduce some of the defendant’s court fees.

Sisneros had been facing a trial that was set to start Jan. 3 and a plea agreement had been in the works for months.

Sisneros did not have a criminal history. He was arrested during his April camping excursion after a caller reported someone had blocked a private driveway to DNR land with a chain and put up “No trespassing” signs.

Sheriff deputies responded to the property and found a chain stretched across an old logging road. They started in on foot and found a lantern in the road, and not far away, a vehicle with its headlights on.

The two deputies said they saw a person step in front of the headlights, then the lights were shut off and a gunshot rang out.

Sgt. Brandon Przygocki, in his report on the arrest, said Deputy Adam Newman and Deputy Kolby Schreier “heard the bullet travel over their heads and into the trees.”

Schreier called out “shots fired” over his radio and Przygocki and Deputy Darrin Dotson responded to the call.

Przygocki said in his report the two deputies at the scene took cover and watched as Sisneros drove away in a Jeep.

As Przygocki was heading to the campsite, he saw the headlights of the Jeep coming at him at a high rate of speed and alleged “Sisneros made an obvious swerve to the left toward my patrol vehicle in an apparent attempt to ram me with his vehicle.”

“I drove into the ditch and braced for impact from a collision and was concerned for possible gunshots,” Przygocki added.

He said Sisneros turned his vehicle broadside and Przygocki took cover, fearing he was a target.

Sisneros, however, quickly became compliant and was taken into custody without incident.

After initially denying shooting a gun or trying to ram a police car, Sisneros told police he shot into the ground because he was scared there was a bear or something else coming through the woods.

Deputies found a .45 caliber American Tactical 1911 handgun on the front passenger seat of the Jeep that was loaded with six rounds.

Breathalyzer tests conducted on Sisneros at the county jail following his arrest had results of .162, .163, .159, and .160.