MILL CREEK — A Mill Creek police officer was legally justified in shooting twice in the direction of a man who reportedly appeared to be reaching for a weapon at the end of a dangerous car chase on New Year’s Day, Snohomish County Prosecutor Mark Roe has determined.
The man, 52, was not hit by the bullets, but he stopped what he was doing after the gunfire, and was eventually arrested, Roe wrote in a decision released Monday.
The incident began late on Jan. 1 when the driver didn’t pull over for Mill Creek police and Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies.
Officers gave chase and the car went onto I-405, then I-5, reaching speeds of about 90 mph. A deputy used his patrol car to hit the fleeing vehicle twice and the tires were flattened with spikes before the driver pulled to the shoulder.
But the fleeing driver still did not stop, and used his car to pin a Mill Creek officer as he attempted to climb out his patrol vehicle, Roe wrote.
The man ignored orders to stop and show his hands. The officer opened fire when he saw the driver reaching toward the car’s glove box, the prosecutor said.
The shooting was legally justified and the suspect “is lucky to be alive today,” Roe wrote.
The suspect was detained for investigation of felony eluding. He is not being named in this story because he posted bail without appearing in court and charges have not been filed.
The incident was investigated by the Snohomish Multiple Agency Response Team, a cadre of seasoned detectives from departments around the community who examine incidents of police use of force.
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