Kent Police arrested a 23-year-old Seattle man for investigation of three counts of eluding and one count of possession of a stolen vehicle after a reported carjacking in Federal Way.
At about 11:09 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, officers were alerted by dispatch that a Lexus had been stolen at gunpoint in Federal Way, according to a Kent Police statement. The vehicle’s owner was tracking its location, which was on the East Hill in Kent.
Multiple officers responded to the area to try to locate the car. A Kent officer received updates directly from the vehicle’s owner. He was advised that King County Sheriff’s Office deputies encountered the vehicle near the 17700 block of SE 272nd Street but were unable to make a stop.
At about 11:51 p.m., the Lexus owner told the Kent officer that the vehicle was near the 11500 block of SE 217th Street. The officer located the car, tried to pull it over and then pursued, according to police.
Additional officers tried to anticipate the pursuit path to put down spike strips to pop the tires, but the vehicle was at a high rate of speed and running red lights, according to police. Officers lost sight of the stolen car and terminated the pursuit.
A short time later, two Kent officers each located the vehicle again on the West Hill. The driver appeared to be attempting to reach a freeway on-ramp, where he would need to slow down to make the turn. When the vehicle was slow enough, one of the officers safely performed two precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuvers and was able to stop the car.
Federal Way officers arrived on scene and took the lone suspect into custody without incident.
“Patience was the key to this arrest,” according to a Kent Police statement. “Officers often terminate their own pursuits for safety reasons. High speeds, reckless driving, no lights, or other factors that put the public at risk all weigh in during a pursuit. Our officers did a great job of balancing safety with the urgency to catch this very dangerous armed suspect.”
Federal Way Police will determine whether to seek any charges for the carjacking.
“Great job by the levelheaded owner of the vehicle who calmly relayed updates to dispatch and our officer,” police said.
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