EVERETT – One man was jailed early Saturday and another man remained hospitalized with gunshot wounds after a high-speed chase Friday that ended with flying bullets outside the Everett Mall and a Fred Meyer store near Mill Creek.
Police released few additional details Saturday to help explain why two men led police at speeds nearing 100 mph from Lake Stevens through Everett on Friday afternoon.
One of the suspects was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of first-degree robbery and attempting to elude police.
The other man remained at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, said Rebecca Hover, a Snohomish County sheriff’s spokeswoman. The man is expected to recover after being shot multiple times by an Everett police sergeant.
Meanwhile, parking lots at both busy shopping centers were full Saturday, with no indications of the havoc from the night before.
At the Everett Mall, dozens of children came dressed as wizards to enjoy Potter Palooza, celebrating the long-expected final volume of the Harry Potter series.
Loading groceries outside Fred Meyer, Angie Williams of Snohomish said Friday’s mayhem wasn’t going to make her change her daily habits.
“I’m not going to stop shopping here because someone’s stupid,” she said.
Police began the hour-long chase Friday about 4:30 p.m. in Lake Stevens.
They had tried to stop two suspected car prowlers, Lake Stevens police Sgt. Ron Brooks said.
That’s when the two men sped away, leaving a trail of accidents and fear along the U.S. 2 trestle and through south Everett.
The men crashed on the trestle and stole a woman’s car at gunpoint, Hover said.
One person was injured in a crash blamed on the chase at 112th Street near Silver Lake, Hover said. The Washington State Patrol is investigating that collision.
About 5:30 p.m., the men, trailed by a line of police cars with sirens and flashing lights, crashed outside the food court at the Everett Mall.
The men ran into the mall chased by police, Hover said.
The man who was jailed Saturday was arrested near the mall after police used a Taser to subdue him.
The other man ran from the mall and stole a pickup truck at gunpoint, Hover said. A sheriff’s lieutenant fired a single shot. No new details were released on Saturday to explain why, although a handgun was recovered from one of the suspects later.
The man headed south and ended up bailing out of the truck outside the Fred Meyer, Hover said. He ran inside, scaring customers whose shopping was suddenly interrupted by people warning them to seek cover because there was a man with a gun.
Everett police surrounded the store.
The suspect ran out of the back of the store and attempted to run into the woods, Everett police Lt. Ted Olafson said.
That’s when an Everett police sergeant shot the man several times, Olafson said.
The man was taken to Harborview by helicopter.
Police worked through the night at both locations collecting evidence. The investigation is expected to take time, Hover said.
Sipping coffee and reading a book Saturday outside the Fred Meyer entrance, Kelly Jorgensen said he heard about the Friday’s “wild west” incident on the news.
The area is relatively safe, he said.
“It was just one of those isolated incidents,” he said.
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