Editor’s note: A previous article about this incident misreported the time between the initial call and Lincoln’s arrest; it was roughly an hour, not two.

Enumclaw resident Aaron Ray Lincoln recently pled guilty to assaulting Ryterra Quarry workers with a firearm in the summer of 2022.

The incident, which prosecutors called “a mass shooting in the making”, started when Lincoln approached quarry owner Jason Wood around 11:15 a.m. on July 12. After a short exchange, Wood told Lincoln he would call the cops if he didn’t leave; “I would call the cops if I were you,” Lincoln responded, according to official documents. “People are going to die today.”

Lincoln then pulled out a 9mm firearm and pointed it at Wood, who was able to escape to his truck to grab his own gun. Other witnesses to the scene also fled, but Jeffrey Lamoreaux, who exited the garage to investigate the commotion, found himself in Lincoln’s sights.

Luckily, a nearby truck wheel washer went off, distracting Lincoln long enough for the worker to get to safety.

Lincoln then continued into the work site and found operator Taylor Fultz, who was attempting to hide. Lincoln ordered Fultz into the main yard and reportedly demanded the man’s sunglasses, cigarettes, and a lighter at gunpoint, which he gave Lincoln. Lincoln then demanded the man remove his clothes, but the man refused.

All this occurred within 15 minutes.

At around 11:30 a.m., a King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter flew by; Lincoln was again distracted and Fultz escaped. Deputies attempted give orders to Lincoln from a speaker on the helicopter, but Lincoln ignored them.

Deputies in the helicopter kept updating officers on the ground about Lincoln’s actions and location while law enforcement closed off state Route 410. After the highway was closed, a dump truck driving down the highway collided with a state patrol vehicle, complicating the situation.

Deputies and a K9 entered the quarry around noon. Upon seeing them drive in, Lincoln fired 19 shots into the air, reloaded, holstered the weapon, and approached the arrest team. Lincoln did not comply with multiple orders to lay down, so he was shot with multiple less-lethal rounds; even then, when deputies attempted to control him, he was defiant and confrontational.

Officers confiscated the firearm and an additional three magazines of ammunition.

It was discovered later that Lincoln’s wife had filed for a protection order against him, citing his behavior with a firearm, but the order had not yet been served.

Lincoln was charged on July 14 with three counts of second degree assault with a deadly weapon and robbery in the first degree.

On Nov. 28, Lincoln pled guilty to the first three charges and to a fourth charge, amended from first degree robbery to second degree.

Prosecutors are recommending 33 months of incarceration, concurrent on all counts, and 18 months of community custody.

The standard range for the second-degree assault charges, and second-degree robbery, is 33 to 43 months.

Lincoln is expected to be sentenced on Jan. 5, 2024.