Bail set at $2 million for suspect in Thurston County shootout

Bail was set at $2 million for a Thurston County suspect accused of shooting a bail bondsman.

Eli Yates, 42, was in a wheelchair during his appearance Tuesday in front of Thurston County Superior Court Judge Erik Price on a charge of second-degree attempted murder. Arraignment was set for Feb. 3.

The shooting occurred Jan. 9 near Yates’ residence in the 12700 block of Yelm Highway. Two bail bondsmen from a private company were attempting to arrest Yates on a warrant related to a burglary and assault case from 2015.

According to court documents, gunfire was exchanged when Yates tried to flee after bail agents confronted him in an RV.

Yates and one of the bail agents were injured and subsequently transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital, then to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.

The bail agent was shot in the head. Thurston County Deputy Prosecutor Olivia Zhou told the court Tuesday that the agent has lost his eyesight as well as one of his eyes. The extent of Yates’ injuries along with the agent’s current medical condition were not made available.

According to court documents, Thurston County detectives found about a pound of C-4 explosives on Yates’ property. Detectives also believe Yates had been preparing for a confrontation with law enforcement or bail agents. Detectives recovered a green backpack containing items such as bank envelopes with large sums of money, a passport, a survival knife, a flashlight and two Taurus handguns.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 5:38 PM with the headline "Bail set at $2 million for suspect in Thurston County shootout."