WOODINVILLE — A man allegedly stabbed someone Wednesday morning before leading police on a chase that stretched from the Lynnwood area to Woodinville.
The pursuit ended when a sheriff’s deputy shot the suspect near Woodinville High School. The man, 42, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was in intensive care.
The Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team is investigating what led up to the shooting. The group of local detectives, known as SMART, is tasked with cases where law enforcement have used potentially fatal force.
Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were called to a collision at 144th Street SW and Meadow Road near Martha Lake around 4:45 a.m.
The suspect, driving an SUV, had intentionally backed into a Camaro, according to witnesses. The two drivers then got into an argument. The suspect allegedly stabbed the other man, 30, with a knife and then hit the Camaro’s hood several times with a hatchet.
The suspect then fled in the SUV. He reportedly wouldn’t pull over when deputies spotted his vehicle around 128th Street SE.
Instead, he took off southbound on I-5. Speeds passed 100 mph during the chase, which went down I-5, Highway 520 and Woodinville-Duvall Road.
Deputies attempted to ram the suspect’s vehicle, which went off the road near Woodinville High School. Soon after, the man was shot, according to a news release.
It’s not known whether the suspect was in his car or on foot during the gunfire, said SMART spokeswoman Kristin Banfield, who also works with the Arlington Police Department.
The victim who was stabbed was treated at the scene.
Three deputies have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.
Wednesday’s incident was the seventh SMART case this year. The investigations often take six months to a year before they are forwarded to the elected county prosecutor for review. The prosecutor makes a determination as to whether the force was legally justified.
Last week, a 24-year-old Edmonds man was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy after a pursuit on Highway 524 at North Damson Road.
Nickolas Michael Peters was fleeing in a car after some kind of disturbance was reported, according to officials. They haven’t said if Peters had a weapon.
The sheriff’s office and many other local police agencies have dialed back their pursuit policies in recent years. The chases, particularly when they are high-speed, are some of the most dangerous and litigated aspects of law enforcement.
Zachariah Bryan: 425-339-3431; zbryan@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @zachariahtb.
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