A man who attempted to escape from police Friday night was arrested on multiple charges including second-degree assault with a weapon after ramming two patrol vehicles in the Studio 6 hotel parking lot in the 24000 block of Van Ry Boulevard.

Police were in the area shortly before midnight for an unrelated incident when they observed a man in the driver’s seat of a running Ford F-250 pickup truck,  slumped over with his eyes closed. Officers used the push bars of their patrol vehicles to pin the suspect vehicle in place due to a number of recent incidents involving similar circumstances in which drivers under the influence have fled recklessly when contacted by police, Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Pete Caw said.

While waiting for additional resources, police noticed there were edged weapons inside the vehicle and the license plate affixed to the truck did not match the vehicle’s registration – and it was later discovered that both the truck and the license plate were stolen. Officers attempted to contact the suspect from a safe distance, but the man reacted by violently ramming the patrol vehicles and other cars located around the truck he had been slumped over in.

Police were then forced to retreat from their positions to avoid being injured by the patrol vehicles that were being struck.

According to Caw, impact munitions was ordered in an attempt to stop the driver from trying to injure officers. However, the munitions were unable to breach the F-250’s windows and the suspect vehicle was able to break loose and fled toward a dead-end parking lot. That that point, the driver turned the truck around and reengaged police who were standing in the parking lot, with their patrol vehicles blocking the lane of travel.

The suspect revved the stolen truck’s engine and accelerated toward police while smashing his way through two patrol cars, which were occupied, and five other vehicles located in the parking lot. At least one of those private vehicles was flipped over and another vehicle came to rest on top of it.

The crash damaged the stolen F-250 and the suspect’s flight from police ended at the parking lot’s exit where he was then taken into custody with minimal force, Caw said. A search found the suspect in possession of large amounts of narcotics and cash. The stolen truck was subsequently impounded to the Mountlake Terrace Police Department evidence garage.

One police officer reported receiving a minor injury when his patrol car was hit and he later drove himself to the hospital at the end of his shift. Two patrol vehicles were damaged in the incident and are currently out of service.

The suspect, described as in his 20s with an unknown address, was transported and booked into the Snohomish County Jail on multiple charges. They included two counts of second-degree assault with a weapon, possession of a stolen vehicle, five counts of hit-and-run, possession of narcotics with the intent to distribute, driving under the influence of drugs, obstructing a law enforcement officer, possession of vehicle theft tools and driving with a suspended license.

— By Nathan Blackwell