A man in Washington stole a semi-truck Thursday morning. The suspect ended up ramming patrol cars with the truck across three blocks before deputies finally stopped him. Five officers were hospitalized with injuries by the time it was over.
According to the Everett Police Department, an employee called 911 around 6:21 a.m. on Sept. 10 to report that his semi-truck had been stolen from a Safeway on Broadway.
Snohomish County deputies quickly located the truck as it entered southbound I-5, then watched it exit at the 112th Street Park and Ride before heading into a neighborhood near Thornton A. Sullivan Park in Silver Lake.
Deputies attempted to stop the truck near Silver Lake Road and 116th Place Southeast. Instead of pulling over, the driver began ramming into patrol cars in an attempt to escape.
An Officer Was Struck
One Everett officer was in the area on an unrelated call when the semi-truck struck his vehicle while he was still seated inside. Multiple additional Everett officers responded to help as the truck continued trying to evade law enforcement, striking patrol cars along the way.
The chaotic chase stretched three blocks before deputies stopped it near the 1100 block of Andrew Sater Road. At one point, a patrol vehicle was pushed into a community member’s car, which was occupied at the time, though no injuries to that driver were reported.
What It Took
Officers deployed a 40 mm launcher followed by pepperball projectiles to take the driver into custody around 6:50 a.m. The press release didn’t name the suspect but described him as a man in his 30s who was taken to the hospital for evaluation.
In total, four Everett police officers and one Snohomish County deputy were also transported to the hospital for minor injuries.
The suspect was booked on several charges, including multiple counts of first-degree assault, multiple counts of hit-and-run, and theft of a motor vehicle.
The Truck Was Still There
The incident also left at least one Everett resident waking up to an unexpected sight. In the comments on the Everett Police Department’s Facebook post, a resident wrote, “This isn’t how I expected to wake up this morning. That truck is still currently in my front yard.”
Other commenters wondered what was inside the truck and joked about how difficult it would be to get away in such a large vehicle. One commenter was left wondering how someone would even manage to lead a chase in a semi-truck.
Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin thanked the responding officers and partner agencies for handling what she called a “dangerous and rapidly evolving situation.” Everett Police Chief Robert Goetz echoed that sentiment, crediting the bravery and professionalism of everyone involved in preventing the situation from escalating further.