Woman injured in home invasion burglary

A woman suffered minor injuries during a home invasion burglary in Camas.

On Thursday, Aug. 13, at 10:35 p.m., Camas and Washougal police were dispatched to the report of an assault that occurred inside a home in the Oak Park neighborhood in the southeast section of the city. A suspect had allegedly shot the victim with a BB gun, then left through the front door in an unknown direction.

When police arrived, the victim told the officers that a man she did not know, later identified as 19-year-old Dontae J. Smith, of Vancouver, entered her house through an unlocked screen door and pointed a gun at her face.

The victim said she grabbed the gun, which she described as light weight and plastic, and struggled to take it away from Smith. He slapped the woman in the face, causing her to hit her head on the wall. The gun discharged and injured the web of the victim’s hand.

Smith fled the scene.

As officers were searching for the suspect and setting up a containment area a second 911 call was made at 11:03 p.m. The caller reported that two men had been observed walking in the area — one possibly carrying a gun.

Officers located one man, who matched the physical description of the suspect, holding what appeared to be a .357 revolver.

Smith was arrested and booked into the Clark County Jail in Vancouver on charges of second-degree burglary and assault.

The victim received minor injuries, and later went to a hospital for medical treatment.

CPD Officer Debrah Riedl said the weapon used against the victim turned out to be a BB gun, although she noted that it is often difficult to differentiate between a pellet gun and a “real” firearm.