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BELLEVUE, Wash. - Police are searching for a carjacking suspect who led officers on a dangerous chase through Bellevue using multiple stolen cars. The suspect also injured an officer by ramming into their cruiser early Wednesday morning.
Just before 4 a.m., a Bellevue Police officer on patrol noticed a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot near the corner of NE 20th St. and 148th Ave. NE. After checking the license plate of the maroon Chevrolet Tahoe, the officer discovered it had been reported stolen.
Stolen vehicle the suspect appeared to be sleeping in. (Bellevue Police Department)
The officer noticed a man who appeared to be sleeping inside the car and called for assistance before confronting him.
Other officers arrived and proactively placed spike strips under the tires of the vehicle. When officers woke the suspect up, he fled the area – popping three tires in the process. With multiple flat tires, the suspect took off traveling the wrong way on 148th Ave. NE and entered the eastbound lanes of SR-520 – continuing to drive the wrong way.
The BPD says they did not chase the suspect, because of the extreme danger.
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Stolen construction vehicle used to ram police cruiser. (Bellevue Police Department)
Shortly after, the suspect assaulted a construction worker at a work site in the 13000 block of eastbound SR-520 and stole a construction vehicle.
The suspect then used that vehicle to ram into a responding officer.
That officer was injured and treated at Overlake Hospital.
Damaged police cruiser. (Bellevue Police Department)
At this point, the suspect had committed a pursuable offense, so officers chased him eastbound on SR-520. The suspect then turned around and started driving in the wrong direction again. Due to the extreme risk involved, officers had to discontinue their chase.
According to the BPD, police later found the stolen construction vehicle abandoned in Redmond.
Officers brought out a K-9 unit and deployed a drone to search for the suspect, but they could not find him.
Detectives impounded both stolen vehicles and will continue their work to identify and locate the suspect.
This is a developing story.