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SEATTLE - Seattle police arrested a man in North Seattle Thursday morning after he stole a car, used it to ram a patrol vehicle and pointed a gun at officers before jumping into Lake Washington.
Suspect steals vehicle from victim unloading items
Timeline:
The Seattle Police Department said that at around 7:45 a.m., someone called 911 to report that a man stole his vehicle while he was unloading items into a building near the Safeway on the corner of 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 123rd Street.
Officers met with the victim, who had video footage of the suspect climbing through the tailgate of the SUV, starting the vehicle using the push-to-start button and driving off eastbound on Northeast 123rd Street.
(File / FOX 13)
Victim, police use AirTag to track suspect through North Seattle
What they're saying:
Authorities said the victim had an Apple AirTag inside the car. The victim got into a patrol car with an officer, allowing them to track the suspect in real time across North Seattle.
An officer spotted the 38-year-old suspect sitting inside the stolen vehicle near Northeast 100th Street and Riviera Place Northeast, which runs parallel with the Burke-Gilman Trail in the Matthews Beach neighborhood.
Suspect rams patrol vehicle, points gun at officer
According to SPD, the suspect put the stolen car in reverse and rammed into the police cruiser while the officer was still inside. The suspect then backed into a nearby house's yard and got stuck after crashing into the side of another home.
When an officer approached the vehicle and opened the driver's side door, the suspect pulled out a loaded firearm and pointed it at the officer, causing the officer to take cover.
Suspect jumps into Lake Washington, treads water for 25 minutes
The suspect then jumped out of the stolen car, dropped his gun, ran behind a home into the backyard and jumped into Lake Washington.
While the suspect treaded water – spending about 25 minutes in the cold October lake – he told officers he was worried about going to jail because of multiple active warrants. He complained about the cold water was and refused to swim back to shore.
Eventually, the suspect gave up and swam to shore. Medics with the Seattle Fire Department evaluated him after he reported swallowing drugs and spitting out a white substance later identified as fentanyl.
After surrendering to police, he gave officers a fake name before being positively identified.
Suspect faces multiple charges in addition to several warrants
The 38-year-old man was on probation with the Washington State Department of Corrections, the King County Sheriff's Office and the Snohomish County Sheriff's Office.
Seattle police arrested him for stealing the SUV, felony assault and unlawfully possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
What's next:
The Seattle Police Department did not disclose what the active warrants were for, noting that the case remains under investigation.
The Source: Information in this story comes from a press release by the Seattle Police Department.
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