This morning at 3:57 a.m., a Bellevue Police Officer conducting a proactive patrol noticed a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot in the 14800 block of NE 20th Street. The Officer checked the license plate of the vehicle, a maroon Chevrolet Tahoe, and discovered that the vehicle had been reported stolen. The Officer noticed that a man appeared to be sleeping inside the vehicle.
Other Officers arrived, and spike strips were placed under the tires of the vehicle. When Officers attempted to wake the man to take him into custody, he fled the area. Three of the vehicle’s tires were punctured by the spike strips as the man fled. The suspect drove the wrong way on 148th Avenue NE, and then entered the eastbound lanes of SR-520 going the wrong way. Due to the extreme danger, Officers did not chase the vehicle.
A short time later, the suspect assaulted a construction worker at a work site in the 13000 block of eastbound SR-520 and stole a construction vehicle. The man then used that vehicle to ram the patrol SUV of a responding officer. The Officer suffered minor injuries and was later treated and released from Overlake Hospital. Because the suspect had committed pursuable offenses under Washington law, Officers chased the vehicle eastbound on SR-520 into Redmond, at which point the suspect again began driving on the wrong side of the road. Officers discontinued the chase due to the extreme risk involved.
Police later located the stolen construction vehicle abandoned in Redmond. A police K-9 and drone were used in a search, however the suspect was not located. Bellevue Police Detectives impounded both stolen vehicles, and will be conducting additional work to try and identify and locate the suspects.
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