Kent Police had a couple of short pursuits with a driver who sped away from them each time and then fled on foot before officers fired a Taser to help take the man into custody.
Officers arrested the 29-year-old man for investigation of eluding after the chase at about 7:54 p.m. Aug. 10 in the area of West Meeker Street and Washington Avenue North, according to the police report.
An officer spotted a white 1998 Infiniti sedan following a vehicle too closely eastbound on West Meeker Street near Frager Road. The sedan also had expired tabs, so the officer decided to pull over the driver. The driver pulled into the Riverbend Golf Complex parking lot. The officer followed the car into the lot, but when the officer exited his vehicle, the driver sped off.
The officer began to pursue the sedan eastbound on West Meeker Street. The driver reached an estimated 70 mph in a 35 mph zone as he weaved in and out of traffic and used the center turn lane to pass other cars. The driver ran a red light at Russell Road.
The on-duty sergeant told the officer to terminate the pursuit because of traffic, so the officer continued to follow at normal speed and with his emergency lights and siren shut off. The officer saw the Infiniti pull into the Crossgate Center parking lot on the northeast corner of West Meeker Street and Washington Avenue North. A female passenger exited the car and the driver sped off again.
Police took the woman into custody. She had a King County warrant for vehicular assault and reckless driving. She told officers the driver, a friend of hers, told her to get out because the cops were going to stop him.
A second officer pursued the vehicle a short distance northbound on Washington Avenue before the pursuit was terminated. The driver sped north on West Valley Highway with additional officers keeping a watch on him. At one intersection, the driver reached out the window and flipped off police.
Eventually, the driver returned to Washington Avenue near West Meeker Street, where he got stuck in traffic and a police vehicle stopped in front of him to block him. The man fled on the foot, but was caught a short distance away. An officer drew his gun and told the man to get on the ground. The man refused the command, so a second officer fired a Taser and the darts hit him in the back and leg and dropped him to the ground.
Man wields knife near WinCo
Several officers responded to a report of a man with a knife at about 2:01 p.m. Aug. 10, in the parking lot of the WinCo Foods, 21100 91st Ave. S.
A store loss prevention officer pointed out the man to police. Officers approached the man and took him into custody without incident, according to the police report. Officers arrested the man for investigation of assault.
Store security told police the man had plugged his cellphone into an outlet outside the store. When the security man asked the man to leave, he reportedly became upset. Both men walked out to the southwest corner of the parking lot where the man allegedly drew a knife and ran at the security officer, who ran from the man.
The man dropped the knife a short time later. The man told police he had been a transient the last few days and needed a place to charge his phone. He claimed he pulled out the knife in self defense.
An officer recognized the man from earlier in the day when he banned him from a McDonald’s in the area.
Man swills beer at bus stop
Police responded to several complaints about a man drinking alcohol at about 4:59 p.m. Aug. 12 near the intersection of South 240th Street and Pacific Highway South.
An officer saw a man in a bus stop with an open can of Steel Reserve beer next to him, according to the police report. The officer noted that in the past he has warned and cited numerous people at that intersection that it is illegal to consume alcohol in public.
A second man also sat down in the bus stop and lit a cigarette. The officer cited both men for unlawful transit conduct and told them to leave the area.
One of the men came back and argued with the officer that the beer belonged to the other man. The officer told him it was not up to debate. The man then crossed the street in the middle of traffic, causing numerous drivers to brake to avoid hitting him. The officer arrested the man for investigation of disorderly conduct.
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