Northwest Briefly: Pierce County deputy shoots, kills man in car

SUMNER — A Pierce County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed a man who drove toward the officer while attempting to leave a burglary scene near Lake Tapps, northeast of Tacoma, a sheriff’s spokesman says.

Spokesman Ed Troyer said deputies confronted three men in their 20s or 30s early Saturday at a home where a woman had called 911 to report someone breaking into her garage.

Two of the men got into a car and drove toward one of the deputies, who was standing in the middle of a road. The deputy, whose name was not immediately released, fired into the vehicle, hitting the driver, Troyer said. The car then went through a neighbor’s fence and down a small ravine and hit a tree.

Troyer said the driver died at the scene and the passenger was taken to Tacoma General Hospital. A third man fled and was not captured, he said.

He said investigators could not immediately identify the three men.

The deputy who fired the shots will be placed on paid administrative leave, standard in such situations.

Seattle: Charges in alleged assault at funeral

A Seattle man who police allege punched a woman at a funeral has been charged with felony assault.

Detective James Cooper wrote in charging papers that 55-year-old Michael Donald McMahon was at a funeral home on Jan. 29 for the funeral of a friend. Witness say McMahon was upset with a woman at the service about what she said about the woman who had died.

Police documents allege that McMahon called the woman a liar, and when outside he threatened her, grabbed her by the hair and punched her. Cooper said McMahon told officers the victim had attacked him and that he hit her to defend himself.

Shoreline: Car crashes through doors of school

Sheriff’s deputies say a 17-year-old boy crashed his parents’ car through the doors of Shorecrest High School in Shoreline, then drove it down the hall.

The car finally stopped 75 yards later when it hit a security office. Two school workers were still on the property and heard the crash.

Police found the teen on school grounds about an hour and a half after the crash late Friday night. He was taken into custody and then brought to Harborview Medical Center for a mental evaluation. Investigators say they do not believe drugs or alcohol played a role.

The boy, from Lake Forest Park, is a student at the school. He was not injured.

Bainbridge Island: Girl left on bus, mom says

A Bainbridge Island mother said her 4-year-old girl was left for nearly three hours alone on a school bus.

Sarah Rowe told KOMO-TV that her daughter was left in her car seat when the driver returned to the bus barn Wednesday. She says the driver dropped off two other children at an elementary school, but not her daughter.

Rowe said her daughter has a neurological disorder that affects her ability to speak. She said that when the girl was brought home, she was upset and had been crying.

Bainbridge Island School District Superintendent Janet Chapel says the bus driver did not follow instructions and failed to walk through the bus. She says the driver has been placed on administrative leave.

Alaska: Dentist crafts beak for injured eagle

An Alaska dentist has given a bald eagle a unique beak — using a temporary crown, sticky poster putty and yellow highlighter.

The bird was found in December with severe damage to its beak, apparently from fishing line that wrapped around it and started cutting into it.

Cindy Palmatier at the Bird Treatment and Learning Center says staff turned to dentist Kirk Johnson, who thought of patching up the beak with the same material used to make temporary crowns for people.

The “crown” is being held on with poster putty, and Johnson colored it in using highlighter to give it a yellow tint.

The bird center says the eagle is doing fine but won’t be able to return to the wild.

Associated Press