LYNNWOOD — An Everett man led sheriff’s deputies on a chase Thursday morning from Lynnwood to Tukwila, hitting at least six vehicles and ramming a patrol vehicle, according to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
No injuries were reported, said sheriff’s spokesperson Courtney O’Keefe and Edmonds police Sgt. Josh McClure. Edmonds police responded to some of the hit-and-run crashes but was not involved in the pursuit, McClure said.
Deputies responded just after 9 a.m. to reports of the theft of a white flatbed truck on 48th Avenue W in the Lynnwood area. Within 10 minutes, more calls came in, reporting three hit-and-run collisions nearby. Deputies then reportedly witnessed the driver in the stolen truck hit another car on Highway 99 and keep driving.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle on Highway 99 near 236th Street SW, but the suspect accelerated and took off, according to a sheriff’s office news release. The pursuit went southbound on Highway 99 and through Shoreline.
“The suspect vehicle continued driving recklessly, nearly hitting a vehicle head on and driving at speeds of approximately 60 mph, at which time deputies terminated the pursuit,” the news release says.
The suspect reportedly began slowing down but allegedly ran through several red lights on Highway 99. At some point, the suspect’s vehicle lost a tire, but the suspect kept driving anyway, through Northgate and around Green Lake in Seattle. The suspect avoided spike strips placed at West Marginal Way, then hit a second set of strips near the South 128th Street exit on southbound Highway 509 in White Center.
According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect “intentionally swerved the stolen truck and rammed a deputy’s patrol vehicle parked on the side of the highway.”
He was arrested at the scene of the crash and was expected to be booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of eluding police, vehicular assault, possession of a stolen vehicle and four counts of hit and run. He also was suspected of driving under the influence.
Sheriff’s detectives with the Collisions Investigation Unit responded to the scene and continued investigating Thursday.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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