An Oak Harbor man is accused of shooting a delivery truck driver and then stealing the truck near Deception Pass on Sept. 4, according to reports from the Island County Sheriff’s Office.

The suspect, 23-year-old Adam Belanger, was arrested on North Whidbey after allegedly abandoning the truck, dropping the gun, trying to steal a bicycle and running on a road naked except for red underwear, according to court documents.

The delivery driver was shot in the abdomen and flagged down a passing motorist, who contacted the police. The injured man was transported to Island Hospital in Anacortes, where he underwent surgery. The Sheriff’s Office reported Thursday afternoon that the 50-year-old man was in stable condition and was expected to be released from the hospital.

Belanger, dressed in a “suicide smock” from the jail, made his preliminary appearance in Island County Superior Court Thursday afternoon. Judge Christon Skinner found probable cause existed to believe he committed the crimes of robbery in the first degree, assault in the first degree and unlawful possession of a firearm.

Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecutor Eric Ohme called the crimes “shocking to say the least” and argued for a high bail amount of $500,000, saying that Belanger represents substantial risk of violence to the community. He said the victim was “an innocent truck driver who just happened to park his truck in the wrong place in the wrong time and was subsequently shot by Mr. Belanger, who apparently wanted his truck.”

Ohme pointed to Belanger’s “extensive criminal history in a short time,” which included burglary, unlawful possession of a firearm, rendering criminal assistance and domestic violence. In February 2023, deputies asked for the public to help locate Belanger, who was wanted on warrants and seen walking around the Greenbank area with a gun and a tactical vest.

In court, Belanger’s attorney said that the bail request was “a little high” since his client doesn’t even have the means to post a much smaller amount.

Skinner, however, agreed with the prosecution and set bail at $500,000.

A report by Detective Ed Wallace with the Island County Sheriff’s Office states that a motorist reported just after 6 a.m. that a gunshot victim jumped out in front of his vehicle on Highway 20 and asked for help.

The victim later told investigators that he had stopped his delivery vehicle, from the Seattle-based D&M Truck company, in the parking lot of the Sasquatch gift store to check his GPS when he was approached by a man armed with a handgun. The gunman, later identified as Belanger, shot the driver as he was exiting the truck, the report states.

The detective wrote that Belanger fired three shots. The bullet that struck the driver went through the passenger side door. A second round appeared to have been fired from the passenger side window through the windshield; the third bullet appeared to have been fired from the driver’s seat and struck the windshield-mounted traffic camera, the report states.

Less than an hour later, a North Whidbey resident reported that the unoccupied delivery truck, with its engine still running, was parked at her home on Highway 20, which was about 2.6 miles from the site of the shooting.

A short time later, a resident of West Henni Road caught Belanger trying to steal a bicycle while covered in a tarp, the report states. The resident chased him off the property. As he ran down toward Imperial Lane, Belanger stripped off his clothing to his boxers.

Troopers with the Washington State Patrol quickly located Belanger on Jones Road. He allegedly apologized for what he did and alluded to using fentanyl. Belanger was transported to the hospital for a medical evaluation before being taken to the jail.

Detectives brought in canine units from other jurisdictions to help search the area for evidence. Searchers found a black leather jacket and a Smith & Wesson .44-magnum revolver in a clearing near the site where the truck was abandoned.