By MES Dispatch Staff
The Briefing
- Four Everett, Washington, police officers were hospitalized with minor injuries Thursday after a man driving a stolen semitruck allegedly rammed five patrol cars during a chase.
- The chase began after a 911 call reported the truck stolen from a downtown Everett Safeway around 6:21 a.m.; deputies located it roughly seven miles south near Silver Lake before the driver fled.
- A Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy and the suspected driver, a man in his 30s, were also taken to a hospital as a precaution; no other injuries were reported.
- Law enforcement used a 40mm launcher and pepper ball projectiles to stop the truck, which came to rest about 30 minutes after the chase began.
- The suspect faces charges including assault, attempting to elude a police vehicle and motor vehicle theft.
EVERETT, Wash. — Four Everett police officers were hospitalized with minor injuries Thursday morning after a man driving a stolen semitruck allegedly rammed patrol cars while fleeing police, according to the Everett Police Department.
A Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy and the suspected driver, a man in his 30s, were also taken to Providence Regional Medical Center in Everett as a precaution. No other injuries were reported, according to police spokesperson Officer Natalie Given. “We’re still figuring out the charges, but they will be pretty significant,” Given said.
The chase spanned about four blocks of a residential neighborhood west of Silver Lake and left a trail of damaged vehicles, including a patrol car and the stolen semi, in the front yards of two homes, according to photos shared by the department.
A caller reported the semitruck stolen from a downtown Everett Safeway at 6:21 a.m. Deputies located the vehicle about seven miles south near Silver Lake Road and 116th Place Southeast and attempted a stop. The driver allegedly struck five patrol cars while fleeing; one patrol vehicle also struck a bystander’s car, according to a department news release. Police and deputies pursued the truck until it stopped near Silver Lake and Andrew Sater roads at 6:50 a.m., where officers used a 40mm launcher and pepper ball projectiles to take the driver into custody.
Everett police said the suspect would be booked into Snohomish County Jail on charges of assault, attempting to elude a police vehicle and motor vehicle theft following a hospital evaluation. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and Mill Creek police also assisted in the response.
“This morning’s incident is a sobering reminder of the risks law enforcement face as they’re working to keep our community safe,” Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin said in a statement, thanking officers and responding agencies “for their courage and professionalism during this dangerous and rapidly evolving situation.”