An 18-year-old male was sentenced to 12 years in state prison after exchanging gunfire with a nearby security guard during a nighttime burglary of Zips Cannabis Parkland location. The security guard responded after Antonio Jesus Benavides rammed a stolen car through the entrance of the establishment allowing Benavides and six other thieves access to the store where they proceeded to loot the business of goods. The shop was closed at the time. Benavides, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty Wednesday to first-degree assault, first-degree burglary, and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle in the Oct. 28, 2022, robbery of Zips Cannabis, 2611 Pacific Ave. In his plea paperwork, Benavides admitted that he “fired several shots toward the security guard and was struck by a round fired by him.” The guard was not hit. The extent of Benavides’ injuries is not fully known, but prosecutors wrote that a surveillance camera showed him limping away from the scene. Surveillance footage of the robbery was used in the positive identification of Benavides. Two co-defendants remain jailed pending trial, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.
