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Ja’Mari Jones

The man wanted in the shooting death of a Seattle man in a Bellevue bar Christmas Eve was arrested in Lakewood, Pierce County, during a traffic stop last night.

Ja’mari Alexander-Alan Jones, charged in the death DeShawn Milliken, 30, at the Munchbar, was arrested when Lakewood police officers ran the license plates of a Toyota and found it to be stolen from Auburn, according to Bellevue police.

Jones, 19, and his 20-year-old girlfriend, Maliesha Imunique Saleem, were arrested on investigation of having a stolen vehicle. That’s when officers learned that Jones was wanted in the Bellevue killing.

There were some 600 people in the Bellevue Square bar when the shooting occurred. Witnesses and surveillance video were used to identify Jones as a suspect.

He was charged with the killing last week.

Video footage shows Jones talking with a man near Milliken and his younger sister, Destiny Milliken, 21, according to the court papers. DeShawn Milliken seemed to recognize Jones and then tackled him as his sister appeared to fight with the other man, Michael Cheatham. Cheatham had entered the bar with Jones. About eight seconds later, DeShawn Milliken turned away from Jones, but was then tackled at the waist by Cheatham.

That’s when Jones brandished a gun, pointed it at DeShawn Milliken and fired at least five shots, according to charging papers. Milliken died at the scene, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Following last night’s arrests, Jones and Saleem were taken to the King County Jail. Jones was booked for investigation of second-degree murder, and Saleem was booked for investigation of rendering criminal assistance, according to Bellevue police.

Jones was one of three teens sentenced to juvenile detention after pleading guilty in April 2009 to manslaughter in the death of 53-year-old Ed “Tuba Man” McMichael. The musician was beaten during an October 2008 robbery near Seattle Center and later died of his injuries.