LAKE STEVENS — One brother was riding in the back of the pickup truck. The brother who was driving decided to shut off the headlights when police started tailing behind.
At speeds more than twice the posted limit, the truck carrying three brothers totally missed a turn and crashed into a stone wall early Monday morning.
Now the brothers likely will be able to keep each other company for a while: Once they’re released from the hospital, their next stop is likely behind bars.
The action started about 3:30 a.m., when a Lake Stevens patrol officer noticed that a sign blocking entry to a construction site had been pushed aside, Lake Stevens police Chief Randy Celori said.
“As he drove into the area, he noticed a vehicle speed away,” Celori said.
The officer followed, and the pickup truck took off from Lake Stevens toward Marysville, reaching speeds of 70 mph, an initial investigation has found. The driver of the pickup turned off the headlights, an apparent effort to hide from police.
That’s when the officer switched on the patrol car’s flashing lights in an effort to pull over the truck, Celori said.
Instead, the pickup continued for about a mile along Sunnyside Boulevard.
“When it approached Soper Hill Road, it failed to negotiate the turn and struck a retaining wall,” Celori said.
One brother was thrown from the bed of the pickup, and firefighters had to cut the other two men from the cab, Marysville Fire District spokeswoman Kristen Thorstenson said.
One of the men pulled out of the truck, 21, was flown by helicopter to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, she said. The air ambulance landed at Sunnyside Elementary. The other two men, 19 and 21, were taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett.
All three men are expected to recover, Celori said.
The driver, who turns 22 at the end of the month, has a suspended license, he said. Two of the men have a criminal history including theft.
Detectives from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the collision.
Once the men are released from the hospital, they’ll likely be jailed for investigation of felony eluding and vehicular assault, Celori said.
Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com.
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