Kent Police took two 19-year-old men into custody after a reported shooting that injured a 16-year-old boy Thursday afternoon, Feb. 1 near 68th Avenue South (aka West Valley Highway) and South 212th Street.
A father called 911 at about 4:18 p.m. to report that his son had been shot in the back and he was driving his son away from the location of the shooting, according to a Feb. 1 Kent Police news release. The father said the two men were pursuing him in their own vehicle.
Officers located the father and son, 16, of Kent, when they pulled over near Washington Avenue North and West James Street, about 2 miles from the shooting.
A responding Kent patrol officer spotted the suspect vehicle nearby where the father and son had pulled over. The suspect vehicle drove off then stopped at a business. The officer challenged the occupants, and one of them, a 19-year-old man, exited the vehicle and remained near the car. He was taken into custody without incident, according to police.
The second occupant, also a 19-year-old man, fled from the area on foot with a rifle in his hand towards a section of woods. Officers immediately set a perimeter around the area to contain the man and protect nearby businesses and homes.
Washington State Patrol troopers responded to assist by temporarily halting Highway 167 traffic. King County Sheriff’s Office’s Guardian 1 helicopter responded to assist in the search for the man.
Guardian 1 located what they believed to be the man in the woods inside the contained perimeter and directed officers to the general location. The man eventually responded to officers’ commands to exit his hiding place and he was taken into custody without further incident, according to police.
The 16-year-old boy received medical aid at the scene and was then transported by medics to a local hospital. The boy’s condition was stable at the time of transport.
The Kent Police Investigation Unit responded to conduct the investigation and determine where the original incident started.
Kent Police ask that anyone who witnessed any part of this incident to call the tipline at 253-856-5808 or email KPDTipLine@kentwa.gov.
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