Kent Police shot and injured a man after he reportedly pulled out a knife and prepared to stab an officer during an attempted arrest.
At about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 23 officers located an attempted murder suspect in the area of 24800 Pacific Highway South (just south of Lowe’s and Dick’s Drive-In), according to a Dec. 23 Kent Police news release. The man was wanted out of Federal Way for a reported violent attack on a 71-year-old man on Dec. 21 that caused life-threatening injuries.
The man ran from officers when they attempted to contact him, according to police. During the foot chase, the man pulled out a knife and reportedly reared it back in a position above his head to stab one of the officers. At that point, officers opened fire and hit the man.
Officers began lifesaving efforts right away, which was taken over by firefighters and medics who arrived a short time later. The suspect, a 30-year-old Seattle man, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. A knife was located at the scene where the man had been on the ground.
Prior to Saturday morning incident, a state Department of Corrections escape warrant had been issued for the man, according to police.
No officers were injured in the incident. Both officers will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard protocol for an incident like this.
The Valley Independent Investigation Team was called-in to conduct the independent investigation, with Kent Police no longer part of the investigation. That team includes detectives from several neighboring police agencies.
In the Federal Way incident, at about 8 a.m. Dec. 21 a 71-year-old man was exercising in Town Square Park, 31600 Pete von Reichbauer Way S., when he was attacked by a man with a hatchet and knocked to the ground, according to the Federal Way Police Department. The man with a hatchet then fled the scene.
Federal Way Police released a photo of the suspect, captured by a closed circuit TV camera.
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