Bail for a man being investigated for allegedly trying to run down an Everett police officer will remain at $50,000, a judge ruled Monday.
David Steven Nyakas, 42, was in the Snohomish County Jail while investigators probed the Friday incident. Officers shot at Nyakas’ vehicle as he sped away, triggering a three-hour manhunt that caused lockdowns of numerous businesses in central Everett.
Nyakas, listed as a transient whose last address was Seattle, was being held Monday at the Snohomish County Jail. He was booked for investigation of first-degree assault and leaving the scene of an accident.
Dozens of police officers from numerous jurisdictions swarmed into the area around the 3700 block of Rucker Avenue following a report that shots had been fired and an officer was “possibly down.”
The officer, Anne Bakke, suffered minor injuries. She was one of three who responded to a report of screaming and breaking glass about 9:30 a.m. at the Grand Condominiums. They confronted a man in the front seat of a car that had its engine running, according to court documents.
Officers told the man to turn off the engine, but the man didn’t comply, documents said.
The driver “punched” the accelerator. Bakke was briefly pinned against a parked car, and the impact caused her to flip in the air, documents said. A second officer saw Bakke go down and feared that the car was going to strike yet another officer, according to documents. The second officer fired several shots at the fleeing vehicle.
Rich Niebusch, spokesman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, said he could not comment on the number of shots fired because the case is under investigation. The sheriff’s office and other agencies are heading up the investigation because Everett officers were involved in the shooting.
The bottom of Bakke’s pant leg was shredded and she suffered abrasions on the lower left leg, documents said. Threads from her uniform pants were found on the bumper of the car that was struck as the suspect left the parking lot, according to court papers.
Moments after the car left the condominiums, it crashed into a parking strip in the 3800 block of Hoyt Avenue. The driver ran, prompting the manhunt.
Nyakas was arrested when a former Everett reserve police officer spotted someone who matched the driver’s description and tackled him.
When Nyakas’ case came up for a bail review Monday, public defender Susan Gaer told Snohomish County District Court Judge Thomas Kelly that police statements don’t support Nyakas being held for first-degree assault.
Nevertheless, Kelly maintained the high bail.
Reporter Jim Haley: 425-339-3447 or haley@heraldnet.com.
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