EVERETT — An Everett police officer recognized the man who allegedly led police on a chase through town Monday.
He had arrested the driver, John Alves, before. In 2012, Alves raced his BMW along Evergreen Way and collided with an oncoming minivan. Alves’ 7-year-old son died in the front seat.
Alves, 35, was convicted of vehicular homicide. A judge sentenced him to 15 months in prison. He was ordered not to get behind the wheel of a vehicle unless his driver’s license was reinstated.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Monday, a Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy spotted a trailer that had been reported stolen. Alves was towing the trailer behind his Chevrolet pickup, according to a probable cause affidavit.
The deputy and Everett police officers followed with their sirens and lights on. Other cars pulled over, nearly boxing in the pickup.
Police said Alves drove diagonally across Everett Avenue through congested traffic and into oncoming lanes before turning on to Maple Street. He reportedly passed a “do not enter” sign and continued on to the narrow, one-way road.
Police didn’t follow. An officer, instead, parked at the opposite end of Maple Street. He waited for the truck to lumber into view. When Alves saw the officer, he drove the pickup onto the shoulder, jumped the curb and came to a stop in the grass, according to court papers. He then got out and ran.
A police dog found Alves hiding in some shrubs nearby.
Alves said he didn’t know the trailer was stolen or where it came from, according to court papers.
“It was just hooked up to my truck,” he told officers. The stolen property was valued at nearly $4,500.
Police said they believed Alves might have been suicidal. He later told jail staff he had wanted the officers to shoot him, according to court papers.
The last time Everett police officers came in contact with Alves, it was October 2012.
He let his son, Josiah, sit in the front seat of his BMW as a reward for good behavior. They pulled behind another BMW at a red light near the intersection of Evergreen Way and 75th Street SE. As soon as the traffic light turned green, both drivers took off.
Alves weaved in and out of traffic. The other car sped up to keep its lead.
Alves eventually swerved in front of the speeding BMW, striking it in the process. The collision caused Alves’ car to slide into oncoming traffic. A van hit the passenger side of the car.
Josiah died from a head injury. He was a second-grader at Madison Elementary School.
Investigators estimated the two competing drivers reached speeds of at least 50 mph. At the time, Alves was high on marijuana. He tested at 10 nanograms of active THC per milliliter of blood, which is twice the legal limit.
Alves also has a felony drug conviction from 2002 for possessing methamphetamine.
Alves was released from prison in December 2015 and was under community supervision for a year. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail Monday for investigation of possessing stolen property, driving with a suspended license and eluding police.
Caitlin Tompkins: 425-339-3192; ctompkins@heraldnet.com.
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