Officers arrested a 51-year old carjacker after he crashed the vehicle as he was attempting to elude police at Maynard Ave S and S Jackson Street Tuesday night.
Around 7:45 pm the victim of the carjacking arrived at the South Precinct to report that an acquaintance of hers had stolen her car. She told officers that she was giving the suspect a ride to the light rail station in her newly purchased SUV when he kept demanding that she pull over. After she didn’t comply, the suspect yanked on the wheel trying to maneuver the car to the shoulder. The victim saw a mini mart up ahead and was able to pull the car over safely nearby. As she tried to get out of the car the suspect grabbed the keys from her hand and a struggle ensued. The suspect twisted her arm and hit her in the face causing her to let go of the car keys. She was able to get out of the car and run to the mini mart.
The suspect drove away in her vehicle also containing her purse and cell phone. The suspect proceeded to drive northbound on Rainier Ave S using the stolen credit cards at three stores along the way before the victim was able to cancel them.
At 12:50 AM officer spotted the stolen vehicle travelling at a high rate of speed westbound on S Jackson St from 17 Ave S. Officers caught up to it after it went through a red light at Rainier Ave S. When the police activated their emergency equipment in the 1100 block of S Jackson St, the vehicle pulled over but the driver did not follow commands to exit the vehicle. Police continued to hail the driver for almost 5 minutes before the suspect vehicle abruptly took off and tried to make a left turn on Maynard Ave S. The suspect couldn’t negotiate the turn at his speed and crashed into a light pole.
After initially refusing to exit the vehicle, the suspect eventually got out and was placed under arrest. He appeared highly intoxicated and told officers there were two firearms inside the vehicle. The suspect was currently under the supervision of the Department of Corrections and had a warrant out for his arrest.
The suspect was processed for DUI. The vehicle was impounded pending a search warrant.
The 51-year-old suspect was booked into King County Jail for robbery, eluding, and his warrant.