KTTH OPINION

Rantz: Homeless man brutally beat and carjacked Tacoma woman, victim says

Jul 16, 2024, 5:55 PM | Updated: Jul 17, 2024, 8:00 am

A closeup of Annette and her facial injuries from a recent carjacking superimposed over a photo of ...

A closeup of Annette and her facial injuries from a recent carjacking superimposed over a photo of the location of the crime. (Photo courtesy of Annette)

(Photo courtesy of Annette)

A government worker from Tacoma is blaming progressive policies after she was brutally beaten and carjacked by an 18-year-old homeless man in broad daylight. Court documents indicate the suspect Elijah Armon Beavers has a past conviction for robbery and was previously involuntarily committed for mental health issues earlier in the year.

Annette, who prefers we not use her last name due to privacy concerns, said she was leaving a friend’s house on Sunday, July 7 in the middle of the afternoon with her foster dog Riley in tow. She got into her car, which was parked across the street from the Beacon Center, a homeless shelter for adults 18-24 years old, and rolled down her windows before driving off. Seconds later, Annette said Beavers tried to carjack her.

“I was parallel parked, so I didn’t have the opportunity to drive off. So I just started screaming at the top of my lungs for someone to come help me and was fighting him off the best that I could,” Annette exclusively explained to “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH. “… I am scratching and punching and trying to grab his ears and eyes.”

But she said Beavers was able to unlatch her locked door.

“I wasn’t going to let him get me and the dog. So I’m fighting as hard as I can, screaming at the top of my lungs, (and) no one’s coming,” Annette explained.

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How could a homeless man allegedly carjack and assault a woman in broad daylight?

Beavers pulled Annette and her dog out of the car and threw them to the ground, she explained.

“As soon as I hit the cement on my back, he got on top of me and started punching my face,” she alleged. “And I’m still fighting. I fought as hard as I could and was screaming as loud as I could the entire time.”

Annette said she could tell he was “high as a kite on drugs” and that, no matter what she did, she couldn’t overcome his strength. She said when Beavers finally got off her, he kicked her twice in the ribs and drove off with her car. She said she had to roll out of the way, with her dog, to avoid getting run over by her own vehicle after being carjacked by the homeless man.

It was at that moment when a witness came to help her. One screamed for someone to call 911.

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‘Imprints of his knuckles are clearly seen on my face now’

Annette said Tacoma Police and medics arrived within minutes. She said they were all “very, very compassionate and empathetic, and took their time with me” as they tried to help.

Already started to bruise, Annette was transported to the emergency room to have CAT scans to make sure she didn’t have any facial fractures. Days later, the swelling finally went down, but the pain still radiates from her wounds.

“It’s hard to look in the mirror … the imprints of his knuckles are clearly seen on my face now, amongst the bruising,” she said. “I do have two black eyes now. My nose has stopped bleeding for the most part … and my voice is still hoarse from the screaming.”

About four hours later, while Annette was being treated in the emergency room, police spotted Beavers in the parking lot of a nearby Walmart. According to a police report, Beavers was a suspect in an armed robbery at the store.

“(T)he suspect was approached by off-duty WSP (Washington State Patrol) and security for stealing merchandise and brandishing a machete when they contacted him,” the police report says.

Police said after they arrested Beavers in Annette’s stolen car, he “admitted post-miranda to (the) carjacking.”

Charges filed after homeless man allegedly carjacked victim

“The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH has learned that Beavers was previously staying at the Beacon Center, but was kicked out within the last month due to concerns over his behaviors. According to police, Beavers was previously involuntarily committed for mental health earlier in the year. He had previously been arrested for aggravated assault in 2022.

But according to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, he also has a conviction for robbery in the second degree stemming from a case last year. The details of the crime are not known as juvenile records are not easily accessible.

The Pierce County Prosectuting Attorney’s Office charged Beavers with robbery in the first degree, theft of a motor vehicle, attempted robbery in the first degree, and duty on striking an unattended vehicle (for allegedly striking an unattended vehicle after driving off with Annette’s car). He was held on $100,000 bond.

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How do you move on after allegedly being carjacked and assaulted by a homeless man?

Annette is struggling to move on after the homeless man allegedly carjacked and assaulted her. She realizes, however, that it could have been a lot worse for her.

“I’m very, very fortunate with the outcome of the entire situation. I’m feeling very unnerved. I did leave the city. I did get out of town for the week, not going into work this week. I will be reaching out to victim’s assistance to get some support on how to move forward with my life and to help build back the confidence that I had before this,” she said.

She said she never thought she’s be a victim because she is always “eyes up, head on a swivel.”

But she said her “biggest mistake was rolling down my windows.” No resident should have to fear rolling down the windows of a car to let cool air in.

“It’s really hard Jason to be in a position like this,” Annette added. “My heart goes out to everyone who’s been a victim of violent crime.”

Why did this happen?

Annette blames the local crime crisis on permissive left-wing policies that allows the homeless to do as they please. Without those policies, she doesn’t think the homeless suspect would have carjacked and assaulted her.

“I think the crime crisis is what it is because we are so focused on harm reduction and underserved populations that we don’t give the opportunity to keep the public safe and focus on the people that go to work every day and pay their taxes, and do the best they can,” she said. “We’re the victims of what’s been happening in our state over the last four years. It’s the hardworking Joe’s like myself and like you that are the victims.”

She complains that the jail system is a “revolving door” where people are only given a “slap on the wrist.” Annette said homeless criminals get too much protection. Sometimes, you have to offer punishment, not just endless compassion when they’re a danger.

“People who commit crimes need to pay for those crimes by being incarcerated for the charges that are brought up against them. Period,” she said. “We need to stop saying that it’s OK to do drugs open on the street. We need to stop supplying people with the tools needed to do drugs … we need to get these people off the streets.”

Listen to “The Jason Rantz Show” on weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as TwitterInstagram, and Facebook.

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