STANWOOD — An Everett man who allegedly led sheriff’s deputies on a 22-mile high-speed chase through north Snohomish County on Thursday was wanted as a suspect in the severe beating of his girlfriend.
The couple were staying at the Welcome Motor Inn in Everett, at 1205 Broadway, after a night out at a casino, according to court papers. The girlfriend told police that after they got to the motel, he began accusing her of stealing his money.
He allegedly punched her in the face, shoved her onto the bed and strangled her, the woman reported. According to her account, he squeezed her neck so hard she began losing consciousness. She reportedly couldn’t talk or breathe. She said she was afraid she’d die.
He released his grip, the woman told police, and they went looking for the money in their car, but they couldn’t find it. In the back seat, the suspect allegedly threatened he was going to “gut her” and pushed a knife into her side, leaving a scratch mark.
The man then pulled her out of the car and punched her repeatedly in the face, according to court papers. She reported she felt her jaw break.
The suspect stopped the attack and drove off when a passerby yelled out they were calling police. The woman was taken to a hospital to have her injuries treated.
Everett detectives confirmed the suspect’s identity with the photo identification he used to get a motel room and tracked him to a condominium complex in Stanwood.
Around 12:20 p.m., a sheriff’s deputy overheard radio traffic that someone had resisted arrest at the address and had fled in a blue Chrysler with blue rims. The deputy later passed a car matching the description going northbound on Pioneer Highway.
The deputy made a U-turn and gave chase. According to court papers, the suspect turned onto 272nd Street NW and passed through a construction zone, nearly striking a worker.
The Chrysler then drove into opposing traffic going 50 mph, causing drivers in the oncoming lane to pull over. The driver made his way onto Highway 532, where he reportedly tailgated heavy traffic and swerved around vehicles in an attempt to get away.
On 102nd Avenue NW, the suspect allegedly drove up to 80 mph through a 20 mph school zone.
He got onto Pioneer Highway again, headed toward Conway, and reportedly accelerated to 100 mph. He dodged spike strips that police placed to stop him. He sped up to 130 mph and briefly lost pursuing deputies, according to court papers.
Other units picked up the pursuit and eventually stopped the fleeing suspect on southbound I-5, near the 236th Street on-ramp, with a PIT maneuver — a technique in which an officer bumps a corner of a patrol car into the corner of a fleeing vehicle to cause its driver to lose control and stop.
The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of eluding a police vehicle and three counts of second-degree assault.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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