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Shooting Victim Arrested After Fleeing Hospital Naked, Hiding in Dumpster

A man who was shot Thursday afternoon in the Central District later fled a hospital in the nude to avoid being arrested for a felony warrant.

At about 3:30 p.m., 911 callers reported hearing shots fired near 27th Avenue and East Spring Street. Police responded to the scene and found evidence of a collision and approximately 20 shell casings. Witnesses reported multiple cars fleeing the area, including a red BMW.

Minutes later, police were called to 17th Avenue and East Madison Street for a two-car collision involving the red BMW. The driver of the BMW exited his car and told a witness he had been shot. The other driver in the collision was not seriously injured and remained on scene to speak with police.

Momentarily, another car arrived at the collision scene and picked up the BMW driver. The BMW driver was then dropped off at a hospital on First Hill with an apparently non-life-threatening gunshot wound to his leg.

Detectives with SPD’s Gun Violence Reduction Unit responded to both scenes to collect evidence – including two recovered firearms – and begin their investigation. Detectives then went to the hospital to interview the victim.

The man was uncooperative with police and lied about his name. However, the detectives eventually identified the man and discovered he had a Department of Corrections warrant for escaping community custody.

Then, in another attempt to escape, the man ran from police and fled the hospital on foot in only his hospital gown. But he was not wearing the hospital gown for long; a passerby flagged down officers and said she’d seen a naked man running down the block. Sure enough, when police found the man hiding in a dumpster, he was completely naked.

The 29-year-old man was arrested and transported to Harborview Medical Center. He will be booked into SCORE Jail on his warrant after he is medically cleared. Detectives will continue to investigate the shooting.