A former Microsoft technologist is behind bars after he plowed his car into a crowded Washington State supermarket on Friday night after alleging that he's being pursued by a murderous satanic cult.
After crashing his car into the front of the Fred Meyer store in Everett 50 miles north of Seattle, Ronald Lewis, 57, covered himself in gasoline, police said.
Lewis then sat in his car as responding officers tried to negotiate his surrender. That's when his car caught fire.
Miraculously, Lewis escaped his car with very minor injuries. Although no official statement has been made by police regarding his motives, Lewis car had the message: 'Satanic Panic' scrolled at least twice on his car.
In the weeks leading up to the incident, Lewis alleged in multiple Facebook posts that his life was being threatened by a murderous satanic cult.
The entire incident lasted around an hour with no other injuries being reported. A Fred Meyer spokesperson said that the incident caused $50,000 worth of damage.
Lewis appeared in Everett District Court on Tuesday and was held on a $250,000 bond. He's charged with arson and malicious mischief. The judge in the case also demanded that Lewis face a mental evaluation before any possible release, reports My Everett News.
The outlet reports that Lewis told officers that he was trying to get the attention of the FBI because he wanted to talk to them about 'satanic stalking he believed he was experiencing.'
In addition to cans of gasoline, Lewis also had a propane can with him at the time of the crash.
'Satanic Panic' is a phrase typically associated with the thousands of unsubstantiated cases of ritual abuse and cult activities in the United States during the 1980s and 90s.
According to his Facebook page, Lewis formerly worked as a technologist for Microsoft. Technologists typically work on the hardware necessary for software engineer's designs.
In one post, Lewis wrote about beta testing an early version of a digital camera and coming into contact with a 'Satan worshipping band' at a concert.
On December 12, Lewis posted: 'A Satanic Devil Worship Cult attempted to abduct and kill me last night as I was sleeping in my car!! This is real. Satanic cults do exist and notoriously evil humiliation pain suffering assault Torture mutilation (of humans) and rituals, you name it, they do it.'
Lewis also wrote that he was being stalked by the cult and was hiding out in the parking lot of a local church
He writes in the bio section of his Facebook page that he is a native of Olympia, Washington, and that he now lives in Edmonds, Washington. Lewis is a graduate of Washington State University.
In his last public post before the crash, on December 14, Lewis said that he was once involved in an armed standoff with police at the Seattle Sheraton hotel after his girlfriend told police that he was going to shoot her.
He wrote that it was 'a lie and proved to be a lie.' Lewis goes on to allege that 'hundreds if not thousands of Microsoft' employees are members of a nationwide satanic cult. Lewis wrote: 'They are extremely dangerous and will not stop.'
After being followed for hours by cult members, Lewis said that he was overcome with poison but into his car through the ventilation system. He concludes his post by saying that his girlfriend who alleged he pulled a gun on her, is a member of the cult.
Earlier this month, the manager of the Fred Meyer store in question, Tyler Stumpf, told a local city council meeting that he needed more help from law enforcement in keeping his store safe, reports the Everett Herald.
Stumpf said that the outside of his store had become an open air drug market with addicts regularly using his bathroom to use narcotics. In one particular incident, Stumpf said that a man brandishing two knives was spotted in the parking lot.
The manager said that local police never responded to the scene despite being called.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11578039/Ex-Microsoft-worker-douses-petrol-blows-car-driving-supermarket.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=social-twitter_dailymailus