MARYSVILLE — A couple in a red Dodge Caravan allegedly led police on a chase twice in one week, while blasting through red lights and throwing clothes out of windows to block the officers’ path.
The pair was arrested Friday after their van plunged down a 9-foot embankment.
Officers first spotted the couple Aug. 22 in the parking lot at the Tulalip Resort Casino, according to a probable cause affidavit. The 26-year-old man and 32-year-old woman got into a stolen Honda and struggled to start the engine.
Officers turned on their emergency lights and sirens, prompting the woman to put the Honda in reverse. The vehicle reportedly backed into a patrol car before speeding off.
The woman reportedly drove through stop signs and red traffic lights along Quil Ceda Boulevard and State Avenue.
As they approached Arlington, police called off the chase.
Someone flagged down the officers on their way back to the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The person had found a backpack full of electronics, which police believe was thrown from the Honda.
A Tulalip woman living on 125th Place NW called police the next morning. She was getting ready for work when she heard a noise in her driveway. She peeked outside and saw the stolen Honda with the passenger-side doors ajar.
The two suspects didn’t lie low.
On Friday, an officer spotted them sprinting out of a Walmart along 64th Street NE in Marysville. They hopped into a Dodge Caravan and sped off, according to court papers. The officer heard the tires squeal.
The pair cut through the parking lot, exited through the entrance and crossed five lanes of traffic without hesitation, according to court papers. They reportedly ran a red light at the intersection with Highway 9, forcing a southbound car to brake.
A large, plastic bin with clothes was flung out of the window.
The van reached 90 mph before it neared the intersection to Highway 92. The officer had pulled over after noticing heavy traffic ahead, according to court papers. Once the van turned onto Soper Hill Road, a less-traveled street, the siren sounded again.
Police tried to stop the vehicle with spikes, but it pushed on. The driver turned on to what looked like a side road, but was actually a driveway. She circled around in the yard and on her way back to the road, the van nose-dived down an embankment.
An officer stopped the woman as she was scrambling up the embankment. The man ran away, but was found shortly after. He was wanted by the state Department of Corrections for escaping community custody, according to court papers. The 26-year-old has been convicted of stealing motor vehicles twice before.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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