Following about a 7-mile pursuit, two Kent Police officers reportedly fired shots at the driver of a stolen U-Haul truck but did not hit him.
Officers arrested a 19-year-old Seattle man for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle and eluding police, according to an Oct. 2 Kent Police news release.
An officer spotted a reported stolen U-Haul truck traveling westbound on West Meeker Street at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct 1, according to police.
When officers attempted to pull the vehicle over, the driver reportedly failed to stop and began to attempt to get away from the officers, according to police. Officers pursued the truck traveling towards the West Hill of Kent, where they were able to successfully deploy spike strips to the front tires of the truck.
Despite deflating the tires, the man continued to drive and pulled into an apartment complex in the 3700 block of South 182nd Street in SeaTac, about 7 miles from where an officer first spotted the truck in Kent. Once inside the apartment complex, the suspect drove the truck around to the back side of an apartment building, driving over the grass and through a fence, according to police.
The vehicle hit a tree and a retaining wall before coming to a stop. A short time later, officers announce over the radio “shots fired,” according to the news release.
At this time, it is believed that two officers fired at the driver, but did not hit him. Officers took the man into custody. No details were released by police about the reasons the officers fired their guns.
Additional charges may be determined as the investigation uncovers more details, according to police. At this time, police believe the driver was the only occupant of the U-Haul truck and no suspects are outstanding.
Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla has called for the assistance of the Valley Independent Investigation Team to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting. That multi-agency team includes investigators from eight law enforcement agencies (Auburn, Des Moines, Federal Way, Kent, King County Sheriff’s Office, Renton, Port of Seattle and Tukwila). With Kent Police as the involved agency, its staff has been excluded from the investigation.
Both the officers who fired their weapons will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard operating procedure.
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