Oregon family was carjacked at knifepoint during stop at Lakewood gas station, charges say

A woman and three family members who were traveling home to Oregon from Vancouver, B.C., last year were carjacked at knifepoint when they pulled off Interstate 5 in Lakewood to go to a gas station, according to charges filed against the suspect.

James Flynn Keller, 37, is accused of first-degree robbery in Pierce County Superior Court. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf at arraignment Friday, and Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille ordered him held in custody in lieu of $750,000 bail.

The day after the March 29, 2024 incident, Keller was arrested in Graham for allegedly stabbing a Walgreens employee. He was charged in April last year with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault. According to court records, he also pleaded guilty to those charges, and his next court date is in June.

Lakewood Police Department officers responded to the gas station in the 11900 block of Pacific Highway Southwest on March 29, 2024 for a report of a disturbance. Dispatchers then told police a 911 caller was reporting a carjacking.

At the scene, officers spoke with a woman who said she and her family were on their way home to Oregon, and they stopped at the gas station and went into the store to buy snacks. When they returned to their car, the woman was approached by a man who reportedly said he was a Marine and was “commandeering their vehicle.”

The woman said her mother-in-law yelled for her to close the door, but the suspect, who police later identified as Keller, stopped her from doing so. According to the probable cause document, the woman said the man was holding a serrated hunting knife and told her, “Get the [expletive] out.”

Surveillance video from the gas station allegedly showed Keller grabbing the woman by the back of the neck and pulling her away from the car while her family exited. The man then drove away in the car with the door open, reportedly almost hitting several of the woman’s relatives as he drove away.

The woman told police she had multiple Apple AirTags in the vehicle, which let her track its location. Officers located the car, a 2023 Kia, unoccupied in Spanaway. One of its front tires was reportedly badly damaged.

Still images from the gas station’s surveillance video were sent to other law enforcement agencies, and a Sheriff’s Office sergeant allegedly recognized the suspect as Keller, who had been arrested for the stabbing in Graham.

According to court records in that case, the victim told police Keller came into the store and wanted help calling a cab. The employee said he helped him, but Keller became upset when the cab company told him there were no cabs in Graham or going to Graham.

Keller allegedly told the employee he was a Marine and to call Fort Lewis, then grabbed the employee and produced a knife from his pocket. After unsuccessfully trying to cut the victim’s throat, Keller allegedly stabbed the employee near his shoulder, pushed him to the ground and stomped on his head. The victim’s shoulder blade was reportedly fractured.