Published: Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Three deputies' patrol cars damaged in chase
A pursuit of a stolen van ended with an arrest, but not before three deputies' vehicles were damaged.
A man who led police on a high-speed chase across county lines in a stolen delivery van Monday was driving so erratically that sheriff's deputies abandoned their pursuit 15 minutes before he crashed, officials said.
Three Snohomish County Sheriff's Office patrol cars were damaged in the chase that reached speeds of 90 mph and went into south Seattle.
"We have three vehicles in the shop right now, but no injured deputies," sheriff's office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
It was the second time in seven months that multiple sheriff's patrol cars were damaged in connection with a pursuit. In February, a chase ended in downtown Everett in a tangle of patrol cars crashing into one another and injuries for four police officers.
Monday's chase started near Lynnwood and ended in Seattle with the fleeing driver being taken to Harborview Medical Center after a head-on crash, officials said.
The 35-year-old suspect later was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault, third-degree assault, possession of stolen property and attempting to elude a police vehicle.
"Fortunately, no one else was injured," Hover said.
The patrol cars were damaged after deputies attempted to use a pursuit immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, in which a police car pulls alongside a vehicle and bumps the rear corner to force it into a spin.
The chase started around 1:45 a.m. in the 13600 block of Highway 99 near Lynn-wood when a man stole a Seattle Times delivery van, Hover said.
"There was some kind of struggle between the suspect and the van driver," Hover said.
The delivery driver declined to be taken to the hospital.
Sheriff's deputies pursued the suspect well beyond the Snohomish-King County line.
They chased the van southbound on I-5 and I-405, west on Highway 520 and southbound again on I-5 to Boeing Field in south Seattle, Hover said.
The PIT maneuvers didn't work and the suspect continued driving extremely erratically, Hover said.
A sheriff's office vehicle pursuit policy requires deputies to stop their pursuit "whenever the risks of continuing the operation outweigh the danger to the public if the suspect is not immediately apprehended."
That is what a sheriff's sergeant supervising the chase determined, Hover said.
Also involved in the chase were the Washington State Patrol and Seattle police.
Seattle police officers eventually deployed spike strips across the road to stop the van but the suspect drove around them, striking a traffic sign, Seattle police said.
Later, Seattle police spotted the van southbound on Airport Way S. A Seattle police lieutenant told officers not to pursue the vehicle about two minutes before it was involved in the head-on collision with another car, officials said.
People in the other car were not injured. Seattle police said the man attempted to run from the crash but was caught by officers.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office will review Monday's chase as it does all pursuits, Hover said.
After the February chase, the sheriff's office reviewed the pursuit and the crash separately, Hover said.
In that case, the chase ended at the intersection of Broadway and Hewitt Avenue in Everett. Four patrol cars were damaged. Two sheriff's deputies and two Everett police officers were injured.
Andrew Holden, 32, later was sentenced to seven years in prison. He had a history of stealing cars.
The worst injuries were to an Everett officer who broke both wrists and one knee. He was hurt when a sheriff's deputy, rushing southbound on Broadway, slammed into two patrol cars that had been parked in the roadway, just north of the intersection with Hewitt Avenue.
The pursuit was found to be within county policy. However, the crash was determined to be preventable, Hover said.
"The deputy that caused the crash was not pursuing," Hover said. "He was coming to the scene where the pursuit had ended."
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
Three Snohomish County Sheriff's Office patrol cars were damaged in the chase that reached speeds of 90 mph and went into south Seattle.
"We have three vehicles in the shop right now, but no injured deputies," sheriff's office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said.
It was the second time in seven months that multiple sheriff's patrol cars were damaged in connection with a pursuit. In February, a chase ended in downtown Everett in a tangle of patrol cars crashing into one another and injuries for four police officers.
Monday's chase started near Lynnwood and ended in Seattle with the fleeing driver being taken to Harborview Medical Center after a head-on crash, officials said.
The 35-year-old suspect later was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault, third-degree assault, possession of stolen property and attempting to elude a police vehicle.
"Fortunately, no one else was injured," Hover said.
The patrol cars were damaged after deputies attempted to use a pursuit immobilization technique, or PIT maneuver, in which a police car pulls alongside a vehicle and bumps the rear corner to force it into a spin.
The chase started around 1:45 a.m. in the 13600 block of Highway 99 near Lynn-wood when a man stole a Seattle Times delivery van, Hover said.
"There was some kind of struggle between the suspect and the van driver," Hover said.
The delivery driver declined to be taken to the hospital.
Sheriff's deputies pursued the suspect well beyond the Snohomish-King County line.
They chased the van southbound on I-5 and I-405, west on Highway 520 and southbound again on I-5 to Boeing Field in south Seattle, Hover said.
The PIT maneuvers didn't work and the suspect continued driving extremely erratically, Hover said.
A sheriff's office vehicle pursuit policy requires deputies to stop their pursuit "whenever the risks of continuing the operation outweigh the danger to the public if the suspect is not immediately apprehended."
That is what a sheriff's sergeant supervising the chase determined, Hover said.
Also involved in the chase were the Washington State Patrol and Seattle police.
Seattle police officers eventually deployed spike strips across the road to stop the van but the suspect drove around them, striking a traffic sign, Seattle police said.
Later, Seattle police spotted the van southbound on Airport Way S. A Seattle police lieutenant told officers not to pursue the vehicle about two minutes before it was involved in the head-on collision with another car, officials said.
People in the other car were not injured. Seattle police said the man attempted to run from the crash but was caught by officers.
The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office will review Monday's chase as it does all pursuits, Hover said.
After the February chase, the sheriff's office reviewed the pursuit and the crash separately, Hover said.
In that case, the chase ended at the intersection of Broadway and Hewitt Avenue in Everett. Four patrol cars were damaged. Two sheriff's deputies and two Everett police officers were injured.
Andrew Holden, 32, later was sentenced to seven years in prison. He had a history of stealing cars.
The worst injuries were to an Everett officer who broke both wrists and one knee. He was hurt when a sheriff's deputy, rushing southbound on Broadway, slammed into two patrol cars that had been parked in the roadway, just north of the intersection with Hewitt Avenue.
The pursuit was found to be within county policy. However, the crash was determined to be preventable, Hover said.
"The deputy that caused the crash was not pursuing," Hover said. "He was coming to the scene where the pursuit had ended."
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.
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