Officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding a chain of events that led police to arrest a 27-year-old man for a robbery, which left a 41-year-old man with injuries and damage to his vehicle.
Just after 4:00 am on Tuesday, East Precinct officers responded to Lakeview Boulevard East and East Highland Drive to investigate a report of a carjacking. Officers contacted the 41-year-old victim, who stated that he had parked his car in the 800 block of 12th Avenue and gone to sleep in the back seat with the vehicle running. The man told officers he awoke in the backseat to find another man driving his car. The victim then used his cell phone to call 911.
According to the victim, the suspect overheard him calling 911 and stopped the car near Lakeview and East Highland Dr. The suspect got out of the car, opened the rear door, and struck the victim in the face and head. The victim got out of the car and the suspect drove away.
A short time later, an officer in the West Precinct saw the victim’s stolen car being driven by the suspect and attempted to pull the suspect over. The suspect fled and crashed near Fairview Avenue North and Roy Street where officers took him into custody. The suspect was not injured in the collision. He was later booked into the King County Jail for investigation of robbery. The victim was transported to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries sustained in the assault.