Police closed southbound lanes of the State Route 99 tunnel for approximately half an hour Wednesday afternoon when a man in crisis began walking in the roadway and climbed onto the roof of a passing car.
At 4:00 p.m., a man began calling 911 from multiple emergency phones in the SR99 tunnel. Based on the man’s statements, 911 operators believed the man was experiencing a crisis. Almost immediately thereafter, motorists began calling 911 to report the man standing in the southbound lanes of the tunnel, endangering himself and creating a hazard. At one point, the man jumped onto the roof of a moving vehicle and briefly held on before falling to the pavement.
Crisis-trained officers arrived, closed the southbound lanes of traffic and contacted the man. He refused to leave the tunnel, struck an officer in the arm, and tried to run from police. Police took him into custody for trespassing and assault. Officers transported the 21-year-old man to Harborview Medical Center for treatment and he will be booked into King County Jail when he is released.
Police are still investigating and are asking anyone who may have had their vehicle damaged during the incident to call 206-625-5011 or file a report online.