By Patrick Malone
The Seattle Times
BELLEVUE, Wash. — A Bellevue officer was released from the hospital late Saturday morning and is recovering from injuries she received in a fight with a burglary suspect, according to the city’s Police Department.
The officer, who has not been publicly identified, responded with others just after 4:15 a.m. to a reported burglary in progress at the AutoNation Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM dealership on 116th Avenue Northeast, according to a news release from the Bellevue Police Department.
There, the officer spotted the suspect trying to steal a safe, according to the news release. A fight ensued and the suspect allegedly choked the officer before fleeing in a stolen vehicle.
Police were pursuing the suspect in their cruisers when the suspect allegedly ran a red light and was broadsided by another vehicle at the intersection of Northeast Eighth Street and 124th Avenue Northeast, according to Bellevue police spokesperson Officer Seth Tyler. The crash caused the stolen vehicle the suspect was driving to careen into a light pole, but there were no serious injuries, according to Tyler.
“The other motorist just wanted to leave so she could get to work,” and declined medical treatment, he said.
Officers tried taking the suspect into custody, but he allegedly ignored their commands and stole a Police Department vehicle. Another car pursuit began, with neighboring law enforcement agencies joining the chase. Using spike strips to deflate the rear tires of the stolen police cruiser, and a pit maneuver — nudging the back corner of the stolen cruiser with their own — officers stopped the suspect in the 6800 block of South 228th Street in Kent.
The suspect allegedly tried running away, but he was soon caught by officers from the Bellevue and Tukwila police departments, according to the news release. He did not need medical treatment and was booked into the King County Jail, Tyler said.
The suspect had no identifying documents, and police had to use fingerprints to figure out who he was. Based on officers’ observations at the various crime scenes, the suspect was also investigated for possibly driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. They obtained a warrant for a blood sample, and the results are pending, Tyler said.
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