For the second night in a row, the driver of a stolen car led Edmonds police on a brief pursuit. Only this time — on Monday evening — the suspect got away after crashing the vehicle at 230th Street Southwest and Highway 99.
According to Edmonds police spokesman Sgt. Mark Marsh, the incident began at 7:40 p.m. Monday when an Edmonds police officer observed a vehicle parked at the Burlington Coat Factory that had been reported stolen out of Kirkland. Minutes later, a man was observed getting into the car, and as he started the vehicle, officers approached in marked police units.
As the vehicle headed toward Highway 99, one of the officers activated his emergency lights and siren, and the suspect “quickly accelerated” northbound onto the highway, Marsh said. The short chase ended when the vehicle left the roadway in the 23200 block, striking a curb, small trees and a concrete light pole before coming to rest on 230th Street Southwest just a few feet from Highway 99.
The man fled from the car and a police K9 track was initiated, but police were unable to locate the suspect.
According to Marsh, a follow-up investigation led officers and detectives to a local motel where the vehicle had been observed previously. A search warrant was served Tuesday morning on the motel room, where evidence was located related to three burglaries from the Kirkland, Bellevue and Redmond areas.
The investigation is ongoing, Marsh said.
That’s just a few hundred yards from where I sit. It seems like Shoreline’s efforts to improve their stretch of 99 have pushed a lot of these goofballs in our direction.