Washington Man Guilty of 3-Day Crime Spree Sentenced to 14 Years

According to court documents released to the public this week, 22-year old Dylen Joseph Swan orchestrated a three-day crime spree involving a car chase, at least two shootings, and an armed robbery in August 2021.

He encountered his first victim outside the Twelve Tribes Casino in Omak during the early hours of August 19, 2021. Swan drove up to his first victim, calling him over to his vehicle. He then yelled various profanity at the victim, before shooting him in the stomach. His victim was then rushed to a local hospital, where he underwent multiple blood transfusions, as well as multiple hours of surgery to repair his shredded intestines and bladder. Unfortunately doctors were unable to remove the bullet from his stomach, leaving the victim to live with the injuries to this day.

Soon after, Swan then held his passenger who witnessed the shooting at gun point, ordering her to stay in the vehicle. The next day, Swan drove her to the Rosauer's Supermarket in downtown Spokane where he attempted to steal multiple items from the store. When confronted by the store manager, Swan pointed the same pistol used in his previous crimes at  the manager’s head. Fearing for their safety, the manager let Swan leave, all while Swan continued to point the firearm at the manager.

After the armed robbery of the Rosauer's, Swan decided it would be a good idea to buy red spray paint at the near-by Walmart in order to disguise his car from law enforcement.

On the third day of his crime spree, Swan harmed another victim. At a McDonald's located near 1625 West 4th Avenue in downtown Spokane, Swan pointed the same pistol at yet another victim, demanded money, and then shot that victim in the arm when he reached for an air-soft gun to try to protect himself.

This is when Swan's luck ran out, as Spokane Police swiftly responded to the scene of the shooting. Officers spotted Swan speeding away, and began a police pursuit. During the ensuing chase, Swan swerved dangerously through intersections, nearly striking several cars. It was during this pursuit when Swan threw the gun he'd used in his crimes out the window of his vehicle, which was later recovered by Spokane Police. The pursuit finally concluded when Swan crashed his vehicle into another car parked at a residence.

In the press release from the Eastern District Federal Court of Washington, United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref (the chief federal law enforcement officer for the Eastern District of Washington) stated, “I’m grateful for our incredible law enforcement team, who devote their lives to protecting our community. Today’s sentence demonstrates the seriousness of Mr. Swan’s actions and dangerousness [sic] he presented on the Colville Indian Reservation as well as in downtown Spokane...”

Swan, was sentenced for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country and Robbery Affecting Commerce.

United States District Court Judge Thomas O. Rice imposed a sentence of 168 months (14 years) in federal custody, followed by three years of supervised release. Swan was also was ordered to pay $21,515.75 in restitution.