Officer Matt Saul, of SPD’s South Precinct, was so clutch earlier this week, recovering two stolen cars and arresting two suspects within a span of six hours.
Around 7pm, Tuesday, February 19th, during Officer Saul’s normal day shift, he spotted an occupied stolen Subaru while driving past 24th Avenue South and South Warsaw Street. The car had been reported as stolen from the Rainier Valley earlier in the day. Officer Saul kept an eye on the moving car while requesting additional officers to his location. Once sufficient resources were in place, Officer Saul made the traffic stop and arrested the 47-year-old male driver. The suspect was identified as a prolific auto thief with an extensive criminal history. The suspect was later booked into the King County Jail.
Following his shift, Officer Saul worked as an emphasis officer in the SODO and Georgetown neighborhoods. Shortly after midnight on Wednesday, while conducting emphasis patrols near a Georgetown motel, Officer Saul made a routine check of a license plate of a Honda parked in the lot. The license plate came back as stolen. Two individuals who were sitting in the parked car got out and began to walk away. Officer Saul immediately detained them and began his investigation. The vehicle itself was also reported as stolen. The 39-year-old female who had been sitting in the driver’s seat was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Major Crimes Task Force detectives will handle the follow up on both cases. Great job Officer Saul!