MARYSVILLE — Snohomish County detectives are investigating a use-of-force incident that happened Tuesday night at the Marysville Costco.
Around 8 p.m. Tuesday, a Marysville police officer stopped a vehicle at the south side of the Lakewood Crossing shopping center, according to a release from the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team. SMART is a group of law enforcement investigators and community members who respond to police use-of-force incidents.
During the stop, an “altercation” took place, police said, and the officer was dragged by the suspect’s vehicle. The suspect, according to SMART, then drove into the Costco building at 16822 Twin Lakes Ave, at which point the vehicle caught on fire.
A Marysville police officer fired shots during the incident, the release said. The suspect, whose identity has not been released, died at the scene. The officer dragged by the suspect’s vehicle sustained minor injuries.
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s office will determine the cause and manner of death, the release said.
Around 9 p.m. Tuesday, Marysville police posted about the incident on X.
“Officers are okay and the suspect is accounted for,” the post said.
By 10 p.m., police had blocked access to the Lakewood Crossing shopping center while they investigated. A visibly burned car could be seen resting against the side of the building. Videos on social media appeared to show flames shooting from a car in front of Costco.
Businesses in the area underwent a lockdown as a precautionary measure, but there is no current threat to public safety, SMART said.
Tuesday marks the first incident under investigation by SMART this year. In 2024, SMART detectives investigated five use-of-force cases involving police.
Correction: A previous version of this story misidentified SMART as a group of detectives who investigate use-of-force cases. SMART is made up of law enforcement investigators, evidence technicians, records specialists and public information officers, as well as community representatives.
Michael Henneke: 425-339-3431; michael.henneke@heraldnet.com; X: @ihenpecked.
Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.
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