Man Who Fired Shots in Apartment Parking Lot Sentenced to Ten Years in Prison for Gun Crime and ID Theft

       A felon with a history of domestic violence, burglary and illegal weapons possession, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to ten years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan.  PISETH P. MAM, 34, was arrested in August 2012, a few days after a shooting incident at an apartment complex in Tukwila, Washington.  No one was injured in the shooting, but video of the scene showed many adults and children in the area at risk.  At sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman said, “Anyone who would fire (a handgun) into a car in a crowded parking lot over a perceived slight is a dangerous person.”

     According to records filed in the case, on August 12, 2012, police in Tukwila responded to a report of shots fired at the Ridge Springs Apartments.  Witnesses described the driver of a white Honda firing gunshots in the parking lot before speeding away.  A witness who was standing near the car when the driver started firing, was able to identify the shooter as MAM.  A few days later, MAM was arrested at the Emerald Queen Casino.  His car was impounded in the parking garage.  When investigators with a court authorized search warrant went through the car, they found a stolen 9mm Beretta Pistol.  MAM was prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior convictions for domestic violence assault (Washington 2004), burglary (Washington 2004) and possession of an assault weapon (California 2007).  Also in the car, investigators found dozens of pieces of stolen mail.  The investigation determined that MAM had used a credit card stolen from the mail to illegally make purchases at Home Depot.  The conviction for aggravated identity theft means MAM faces a mandatory minimum of two year sentence to run consecutive with the sentence for the gun crime.

     In asking for a significant sentence, prosecutors noted the danger of firing the gun in an apartment parking lot.  “The video shows several people, many who were small children, in the area of the shooting,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memo.         

     The case was investigated by the Tukwila Police Department, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF).  The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Hobbs.  Mr. Hobbs is a Senior Deputy King County Prosecuting Attorney specially designated to prosecute gun crimes in federal court.