Suspected thief dies after confrontation with 67-year-old Everett man

EVERETT — A young man died Tuesday after he reportedly was held down in a driveway by a man who suspected him of trying to steal an outboard motor.

Snohomish County sheriff’s deputies were called about 1:50 p.m. to a home in the 400 block of 117th Street SE, sheriff’s Capt. Dave Bales said.

That’s in south Everett, outside city limits.

When deputies arrived, the suspect, believed to be in his 20s, was lying on the ground near the house and was not breathing, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. Despite attempts to revive the suspect, he died at the scene.

No arrests have been made.

The man, 67, told deputies he called police after he spotted a young man trying to take the motor from his boat, parked outside a house on a dead end street.

The boat owner said he held down the man to detain him for police.

“There was a struggle. That’s all I know,” Bales said.

“We found no obvious signs of trauma but it is still early in the investigation,” he added.

Detectives planned to interview the boat owner after he was given a medical examination at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.

The Snohomish County Medical Examiner will be asked to determine the cause of death.

Bales said the boat owner was taken to the hospital as a precaution for exertion and anxiety, but he didn’t seem to have any serious physical injuries.

Neighbors said they felt bad.

“He was probably traumatized by the whole deal,” said Clinton Leslie, who lives nearby.

“That’s got to weigh on you when you are trying to do the right thing and then that happens,” said Ryan Metsker, 33, who has lived in the neighborhood for more than two decades.

Some people living nearby said the neighborhood struggles with crime.

Diane Pierson has made the area of unincorporated Snohomish County her home since the 1980s.

“It has seen a big change since we moved out here,” she said. “This one is really sad.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com.