EDMONDS — A drug bust in Edmonds early Friday morning started with a trespassing report from a motel along Highway 99.
The commotion involved a scuffle between the suspects and the cops, a manhunt, a police helicopter swirling overhead and the recovery of a large amount of cash and drugs.
By sunrise, three convicted felons earned themselves a trip to jail.
“This really could have been bad,” Edmonds police Sgt. Mike Blackburn said. “These officers did a fine job.”
The trouble started about 1:30 a.m. when an employee at the motel in the 22100 block of the Highway 99 called police.
Motel management wanted help removing three men who were unwanted and not registered as guests, Blackburn said.
When officers spotted the men they began to run.
Police caught up, and one of the men “violently resisted,” Blackburn said. As officers struggled with that man, his two cohorts reportedly began grabbing items from their own pockets and throwing them on the ground. Then they ran again.
At that point, a police dog began to track the two men who ran. Officers also converged on the area from Mountlake Terrace, Lynnwood and King County. The King County sheriff’s helicopter was called in to help.
About 2:24 a.m., Edmonds police dog Dash found the men hiding in some brush about a mile away, Blackburn said. The men surrendered as the police approached.
“The dog tracked right to them,” he said.
The three men all were arrested for investigation of possessing drugs with intent to deliver, Blackburn said. They all have significant criminal history, and one had an arrest warrant for a robbery.
Police recovered “a significant quantity of cash” at the scene, in addition to suspected methamphetamine, cocaine and black tar heroin, Blackburn said. The items the suspects threw from their pockets turned out to be drugs and drug paraphernalia.
“These are serious outlaws,” he said.
No serious injuries were reported, though one of the suspects was checked over at a local hospital.
“We got three very dangerous guys off the street,” Blackburn said.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com
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