Police in Everett, Washington issued the following press release today after 4 EPD officers and 1 Snohomish County Sheriff’s Deputy were sent to an Everett hospital with minor injuries after working to arrest a suspected truck thief.
The driver of a stolen semi-truck is in police custody following a pursuit through Silver Lake.
At approximately 6:21 am this morning, an employee called 911 to report his semi-truck was stolen from Safeway, 1715 Broadway, Everett, Washington. The semi-truck was quickly located by Snohomish County Deputies, who saw the vehicle enter onto southbound I-5. The truck exited the freeway at the 112th St Park and Ride, where it traveled into a neighborhood near Thorton A. Sullivan Park in Silver Lake.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle, near Silver Lake Rd and 116th Pl SE, at which time the semi-truck began to ram patrol cars and attempt to evade deputies. An Everett officer was in the area on an unrelated call for service when his vehicle was struck by the semi-truck while he was seated inside of it.
Multiple Everett Officers responded to assist as the stolen semi-truck continued to try to evade officers and deputies while striking patrol cars. The semi-truck caused collisions across 3 blocks before it came to rest in the 1100 block of Andrew Sater Rd. Law enforcement deployed a 40mm launcher followed by pepperball projectiles to detain the driver. He was taken into custody at approximately 6:50 am.
One patrol vehicle was pushed into a community member’s car during the incident, which was occupied at the time. No community member injuries were reported.
At this time, four Everett Police Officers and one Snohomish County Deputy have been transported to the hospital for minor injuries. The suspect, a male in his 30s, is currently in custody and undergoing an evaluation at the hospital.
The suspect will be booked into the Snohomish County Jail for multiple counts including Assault 2 (multiple counts), Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle, and Theft of a Motor Vehicle.
“This morning’s incident is a sobering reminder of the risks law enforcement face as they’re working to keep our community safe. I want to thank our officers and the partner agencies that responded for their courage and professionalism during this dangerous and rapidly evolving situation,” said Mayor Cassie Franklin. “I’m grateful this didn’t result in more serious injuries, and my thoughts are with our injured officers as they recover.”
“I want to commend all law enforcement personnel involved in this incident for their remarkable bravery and professionalism throughout this dangerous situation,” said Everett Police Chief Robert Goetz. “Their actions helped minimize the risk to our community and ensured the situation did not evolve into something even more hazardous.”
Thank you to our neighboring jurisdictions, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Mill Creek Police Department, for their assistance in this matter.