$1M bail set for suspect accused of shooting at Seattle officers

Name: $1M bail set for South Seattle shooting suspects
Uploaded: 2026-08-13T18:10:40-07:00
Description: A dramatic series of events in South Seattle led to a high-speed chase, a violent vehicle collision, and three arrests on Wednesday, August 12, after suspects opened fire on undercover Seattle Police officers in an unmarked vehicle.

$1M bail set for South Seattle shooting suspects

A dramatic series of events in South Seattle led to a high-speed chase, a violent vehicle collision, and three arrests on Wednesday, August 12, after suspects opened fire on undercover Seattle Police officers in an unmarked vehicle.

SEATTLE - A dramatic series of events in South Seattle led to a high-speed chase, a violent vehicle collision, and three arrests on Wednesday, August 12, after suspects opened fire on undercover Seattle Police officers in an unmarked vehicle.

On Thursday, one of those suspects, a 26-year-old man, appeared in King County Jail Court, where a judge set his bail at $1,000,000 despite protest from the defense.

Upon hearing the bail amount, Barbour visibly reacted in court, shouting, "Whoa! Oh my God!" and later said, "Man, I ain’t did nothing wrong to nobody!" before exiting the courtroom.

Court records show the 26-year-old is a convicted felon with two prior First-Degree Robbery convictions. He now faces charges of First-Degree Attempted Murder, Drive-By Shooting, and First-Degree Unlawful Possession of a Firearm.

The suspect of a South Seattle shooting.

Undercover operation turns violent

The encounter began around 5:30 PM on August 12 near Martin Luther King Jr. Way S, and S Cloverdale St. Police said undercover officers were following leads in unmarked police vehicles when they spotted a dark gray Dodge Challenger missing its license plates.

According to court documents, officers followed the Challenger through the Holly Park neighborhood. When the Challenger pulled over on S Kenyon St with its doors open, two people got out and shot directly at one of the unmarked police vehicles.

Court records stated officers identified the 26-year-old and a 20-year-old man as the shooters. Court records also stated a 17-year-old suspect was driving the Challenger.

King County prosecutors said officers estimated that 8 to 10 bullets hit the unmarked vehicle. Miraculously, no officers were hit by gunfire, and SPD confirmed that officers did not return fire.

Defense claims lack of knowledge

The defense told the court the 26-year-old denied any involvement in the shooting. While prosecutors described the incident as an "ambush-style shooting," the defense attorney disputed the state's narrative during the court hearing, pointing out that officers were in unmarked cars.

"Despite the state's claim that this is an ambush-style shooting of police officers, we had police officers who were in unmarked cars. So, if there was a shooting, I don’t know that it’s clear that they were shooting at the police. They were shooting at somebody who was following them. They followed them around several corners," the defense attorney said.

The aftermath of a police pursuit and shooting in South Seattle. (FOX 13 Seattle)

High-speed pursuit and collision

Following the gunfire, marked Seattle Police units launched a pursuit as the Challenger sped away. The pursuit ended abruptly near 51st Ave S and S Ryan Way when the suspect vehicle crossed oncoming traffic and crashed into an innocent driver in a Toyota Highlander, disabling both cars. After the crash, all three suspects in the Challenger ran off. One of them even tried to carjack another vehicle. Officers moved in fast, chased them down and arrested all three suspects.

Investigators confirmed that the Dodge Challenger was stolen out of Kent and recovered a handgun and a rifle inside the vehicle.

Four people were taken to the hospital following the crash: two suspects, an officer injured while arresting the suspects, and the innocent driver of the Toyota Highlander. As of Thursday afternoon, SPD reported the injured officer was treated for their injuries and released, while the 20-year-old suspect remained hospitalized.

Links to earlier armed robberies

According to court documents, the arrest of the 17-year-old driver connects the shooting to an ongoing investigation of a violent crime spree.

The teenager was already wanted on a Probable Cause arrest bulletin for a string of early-morning armed robberies that occurred on June 29, 2026:

7-Eleven (Queen Anne Ave N): Two masked suspects assaulted a clerk, held him at gunpoint, and stole $600 after threatening to kill him when he couldn't open the safe.
Kerry Park (W Highland Dr): Two suspects pointed handguns at a victim sitting in his car and attempted to steal his necklace.
MC Foods (Beacon Ave S): Two armed suspects held employees at gunpoint and stole up to $2,000 from the cash register.

According to court documents, detectives identified the teen through surveillance footage, photos, and Instagram posts showing him wearing the exact outfit, shoes, and holding firearms matching those used during the June 29 robberies.

The 17-year-old appeared in juvenile court on Thursday facing two counts of robbery and one count of attempted robbery stemming from those incidents.

Community concerns

Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office, emphasized the danger posed by the suspects' actions across South Seattle.

Officials confirmed that the suspects involved in Wednesday's shooting do not appear to be connected to the recent Bite of Seattle shooting.

"You don’t want to see two incidents of gunfire like this in areas where people from Seattle and all of the Northwest go often. So, I think that’s what’s alarming to people the in the community and also the prosecutors," said McNerthney.

The 26-year-old is being held at the King County Jail on $1,000,000 bail. His next court hearing is scheduled for Monday afternoon.

As for the 17-year-old, McNerthney said SPD has yet to refer a new offense for him related to his arrest on August 12. The teen will remain in secured detention.

"If additional information is referred by SPD to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, it will be reviewed promptly," said McNerthney.

The third suspect, the 20-year-old, could be scheduled for their first appearance court hearing once discharged from the hospital.