LAKE STEVENS — After a nearly three-hour search, police arrested a man Thursday who ran away from officers in the north Lake Stevens area.
Students at Lake Stevens High School and Highland Elementary were kept inside for about 90 minutes as police searched near the schools. The lockdown was lifted just after noon, school officials said.
The police search started on N. Lakeshore Drive around 9:25 a.m. when an officer tried to stop a stolen minivan, Lake Stevens Police Chief Randy Celori said.
Instead of pulling over, the driver of the minivan sped away. They saw the driver throw one or more items out of the car as it drove off.
Officers called off the pursuit when the fleeing driver did not slow down.
Police found the van ditched in the 2300 block of 112th Avenue NE, Celori said. The driver had run toward the high school.
Dozens of officers and sheriff’s deputies were looking for the man in the area. When a police dog failed to find a track, police called off the search.
Moments later, a neighbor called 911 when they saw a man running through their yard, Celori said.
Police tracked the man down and arrested him without incident in the 10600 block of Vernon Road, Celori said. Officers found him hiding in the woods.
The man had arrest warrants for burglary, eluding police and unlawful possession of a firearm.
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