Man held for hit-and-run, robbery and car theft

Published 1:30 am Sunday, May 6, 2018

MALTBY — A hit-and-run suspect tried to steal four vehicles — by force, in two cases — before he was caught trying to hot-wire a sauna company’s car in the Maltby area, according to police reports filed in court Friday.

Two cars collided around 6 a.m. Thursday at the intersection of Highway 9 and Maltby Road, leaving a woman with shoulder and neck pain. Her injuries were not life-threatening.

A witness stepped out of his car to help. The other driver, 39, who wore a black puffy vest, tried to open the driver’s side door of the helper’s car, according to Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies.

The good Samaritan shoved him, and the man walked off toward a witness standing in the parking lot of a gas station. The man in the vest snatched the car keys out of the witness’ hand, and made a run for that person’s car, according to the reports. The thief reportedly gestured to his pocket in a way that implied he had a gun, court papers say. The man ordered the thief to give his keys back, and eventually he recovered them, before the thief could drive away.

Moments later, the suspect walked up to a barista at a cafe south of the gas station. He gestured again as if he had a gun. He demanded her car keys. She was afraid, but wouldn’t hand them over, according to the reports. The man gave up and fled south to a sauna business.

A police dog tracked a scent to a company vehicle in the parking lot. Deputies found the steering column had been taken apart, and that the thief was trying to hot-wire the vehicle. The Lake Stevens man was arrested for investigation of two counts of first-degree robbery, two counts of attempted motor vehicle theft and hit-and-run from an injury crash.

The sauna business gave deputies permission to search the vehicle. Inside they found a puffy black vest, plus about a gram of crystals that tested positive for methamphetamine.

Caleb Hutton: 425-339-3454; chutton@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @snocaleb.