Two men were taken into custody Wednesday by Kent Police following an early morning theft and car chase that exceeded speeds of 100 mph and was captured on Washington State Department of Transportation traffic cameras.
The incident started shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday when a Kent Police sergeant on patrol saw a vehicle parked alongside a bank of mailboxes in an industrial park in north Kent, according to a Kent Police media release. As the officer approached, the car drove toward the officer’s vehicle, and then fled onto the West Valley Highway in an effort to lose the officer.
The officer was able to catch up to the fleeing vehicle and followed the driver to southbound Highway 167.
Once on Highway 167, the driver accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 mph in an effort to elude trailing police units. The driver of the car, a 20-year-old Federal Way man, eventually lost control of his car while attempting to navigate an exit ramp at Highway 18 in Auburn. The vehicle spun for a short distance whereupon the driver regained control.
Officers used this opportunity to move alongside the vehicle and initiate a PIT maneuver, disabling the Honda sedan against a concrete barrier. The driver and his passenger, a 42-year-old Seattle man, were taken into custody without further incident.
Both men are presently in the city of Kent jail. Both were arrested for investigation of theft, while the driver also faces potential charges related to his effort to elude police and possession of narcotics.
A quantity of mail was recovered from the vehicle and will be returned to the victims.
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