Thief swipes SUV, smashes other cars but can’t elude OnStar tracking
Published 10:26 pm Sunday, June 14, 2009
SEATAC — The King County Sheriff’s Office says a man stole an SUV from a family unloading luggage at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and then smashed into seven police cars while he was trying to get away at speeds more than 100 miles per hour.
Sheriff’s spokesman John Urquhart told KOMO-TV the man was arrested Saturday evening.
Investigators said a Cadillac Escalade was stolen from the departures drop-off area at the airport just before 7 p.m. But the vehicle had an OnStar system, which allowed OnStar operators to remotely track the SUV’s location and direct sheriff’s deputies to it.
When deputies caught up with the driver, he tried to speed away and hit multiple cars during the pursuit, including seven police cruisers. Deputy Robin Ostrum said the SUV hit speeds in excess of 100 mph during the pursuit.
Urquhart said one officer suffered a minor injury in the chase, which ended when the thief lost control of the SUV and it flipped. The vehicle rolled several times and caught fire, but the driver was not seriously injured. He was taken to a hospital to be checked out before being booked into jail.
