FREELAND – One shipyard worker was killed and two others injured Monday in an accident at Nichols Bros. Boat Builders on Whidbey Island.

The accident apparently involved an unmanned fighter drone aboard a new high-speed catamaran that Nichols Bros. is finishing for the Navy, Island County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jan Smith said.

“It appears the equipment on the drone that allows for it to be lifted failed,” Smith said.

The two injured workers were taken to Whidbey General Hospital in Oak Harbor, where they were in satisfactory condition, she said. The workers were civilians, she said.

The shipyard was closed and employees sent home after the accident, reported at 2:30 p.m.

The accident is under investigation by the state Department of Labor and Industries.

Everett: Neighborhood groups meet tonight

Several Everett neighborhood associations have meetings tonight.

Riverside will meet at 7 p.m. at the North Middle School library, 2514 Rainier. Residents will hear from the state Transportation Department about I-5 construction.

The South Forest Park Neighborhood Association will meet at 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 4634 S. Alger Ave. Neighbors will hear from members of Everett’s Vision 2020 Committee.

The Holly Neighborhood will meet at 7 p.m. at the South Everett Library, 9512 Evergreen Way. They will discuss a neighborhood cleanup.

The Glacier View Neighborhood will meet at 7 p.m. at Lowell Elementary School, 5010 View Drive. Residents will vote on neighborhood leaders.

For more information, contact the Office of Neighborhoods at 425-257-8717.

Police say car fire was deliberately set

A fire that destroyed a car early Saturday was deliberately set, Everett police said Monday.

The blaze consumed a car parked in the 2000 block of Norton Avenue, Everett Sgt. Boyd Bryant said. A security camera captured video of three teenagers setting the fire, he said. Police questioned the three and are continuing to investigate, Bryant said. The fire happened shortly after midnight, he said.

Edmonds man leads police on I-5 chase

An Edmonds man led police on a 15-minute car chase Sunday that ended with a crash.

A Snohomish County deputy tried to stop the man at 9 a.m. near 128th Street and I-5 for a traffic offense, but the man, 27, allegedly fled north on I-5, Deputy Rich Niebusch said Monday.

The pursuit ended near the intersection of Madison Street and Evergreen Way when the man collided with another car, Niebusch said. The impact pushed the second car into a third, he said.

Those drivers were treated and released at the scene. The man was examined at Providence Everett Medical Center’s Colby campus before he was booked into the county jail on suspicion of attempting to elude an officer.

He also was arrested on warrants for robbery and second-degree theft, Niebusch said.

Mukilteo: Police looking for robbery suspect

Police are searching for a man who robbed the Mukilteo Rite-Aid store Friday night, Mukilteo Chief Mike Murphy said Monday.

A store clerk reported the man shoved her and grabbed money out of a cash register, Murphy said. The man then ran out of the store, 11700 Mukilteo Speedway.

Officers and an Everett police dog searched but were unable to find the man.

Snohomish: Man charged with assault

A 41-year-old Snohomish man was charged in Snohomish County Superior Court with second-degree assault Monday for allegedly ramming his pickup into a city police car Jan. 20 during a chase.

Kenneth Dean Aycox was being held on $100,000 bail and could face life in prison if convicted, under the state’s three-strikes law, deputy prosecutor Tobin Darrow said.

The chase began when two officers saw a pickup traveling through Snohomish at a high rate of speed. While one pursued, the other positioned his patrol car at the intersection of Second Street and Cypress Avenue.

When the pickup was about 15 yards away, “it suddenly veered directly at his patrol car,” Darrow said. Both vehicles were heavily damaged. The officer hit his head on the window, Darrow said.

The pickup continued toward downtown with smoke coming from it. A tire was flattened when the vehicle hit a curb. The man ran, and police had to use a stun gun to subdue him, Darrow said. Aycox has five felony convictions, including assault with a deadly weapon and first-degree burglary in California, Darrow said.

Bothell: Teen critically injured in SUV wreck

A Bothell teenager was critically injured Saturday when a Chevy Blazer carrying her and five other teens went off the road, police said Monday.

The crash happened about 3:25 a.m. in the 22700 block of 87th Avenue SE, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputy Rich Niebusch said.

The girl, 17, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with critical head injuries, Niebusch said. A 16-year-old boy also broke his ankle.

A 17-year-old boy was driving the car.

From Herald staff reports