Police arrested a carjacking suspect armed with an axe after he crashed the stolen car in Columbia City on Tuesday night.
Just before 8:30 p.m., a woman called 911 and reported a man had tried to carjack her in the 800 block of 34th Avenue. She said a man wielding a hammer walked up to her window as she was sitting in the driver’s seat, and told her to get out of the car. The woman sped away before calling police.
Approximately 15 minutes later, another woman called police to report she had been carjacked by a man with a hammer in the 400 block of Lakeside Avenue South. As she was parking, a man tapped on her window with a hammer and told her he was taking her car. Fearing for her safety, she quickly got out and the man sped away in her silver sedan.
At 8:56 p.m., police received reports of a single-vehicle rollover collision at 38th Avenue South and South Oregon Street, involving the stolen silver sedan. Responding officers began searching for the suspect, who had reportedly fled on foot. Police soon received three more calls about the suspect: one from another driver, who said a man had swung an axe at his car. Then, a resident in the 4600 block of 42nd Avenue south reported the suspect had tried to enter their home. Another caller then reported the same man – still holding the axe – had opened their front door and poked his head inside. After seeing the house was occupied, the man shut the door and left.
A short time later, police spotted the suspect in the 4600 block of 42nd Avenue South. He tried to run from officers, who took him into custody and recovered the axe.
The 38-year-old suspect, who appeared to be experiencing some form of crisis, was transported to Harborview Medical Center before being booked into King County Jail for robbery and felony harassment. Officers also requested charges for the misdemeanor crimes of trespassing and obstruction.
