On July 22nd, 2017, at around 8:15pm, Detectives and Deputies in the city of SeaTac were in 20000 BLK of International Boulevard looking for a known suspect in the brutal rape and assault of an 83yoa woman two days earlier. A Sergeant noticed a person matching the description of the wanted man, but before he could confirm it was or was not him, the man jumped into the passenger side of a car with an acquaintance driving, and the vehicle fled.
Believing that this was indeed the rape suspect, Deputies from SeaTac pursued the vehicle North through the city. For a period of close to 10 blocks, the suspect vehicle was traveling N/B in the S/B lanes of International Blvd. and at one point clipped a car traveling S/B. Because of the danger to other innocent civilians on the road at the time, Deputies backed off and stayed in the N/B lanes, but still pursued the vehicle with the belief it contained the rape suspect. The vehicle eventually turned off of International Blvd and back into the proper lane of travel and the Deputies resumed a much closer pursuit of the vehicle through the area of North SeaTac and into Burien. After approximately 5 miles, at the intersection of 24th Ave / Military Rd S, the vehicle collided with the passenger side of another car that had been traveling through the intersection.
Both the driver and the passenger in the suspect vehicle were arrested immediately after the accident. Both were treated at a local hospital for their injuries before being transported and booked into KCJ. The driver faces charges of eluding as well as driving on a suspended license. It turned out that the passenger, whom Deputies had believed was the rape suspect, was not him. However, he was found to be in possession of drugs. He was booked for the drug charges. Deputies also believe that the suspects threw something out of the window during the pursuit, but they were unable to locate anything.
The driver of the other vehicle suffered only minor injuries but was taken to Harborview for precautionary reasons.
The driver of the vehicle clipped while S/B on International Blvd did not suffer any injuries.
Detectives from the King County Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Response & Reconstruction (MARR) are investigating to determine the speed at which the collision occurred.
