The King County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that an officer shot an armed suspect in an occupied stolen vehicle at a parking garage near the Kent Station transit center Thursday morning, July 26.
The suspect later died at Harborview Medical Center.
Police say it all started at 8:42 a.m. when a 28-year veteran deputy with the King County Sheriff’s Office/Sound Transit Division was conducting routine patrol at the Kent Station Parking garage:
- While looking for parking violations on the first floor of the garage, he located a suspicious, occupied vehicle.
- As he was making contact with the two occupants of the vehicle, dispatch notified the deputy the vehicle was stolen.
- The deputy attempted to take the driver (suspect) into custody.
- The suspect, an 18-year old Hispanic male, armed himself with an AR-15 rifle. He started to struggle with the deputy inside and then outside of the vehicle. The deputy fired a single shot at the suspect striking him once. The suspect was provided first aid at the scene and was transported by King County Medics to Harborview Medical Center. He later died from his injuries.
- A passenger in the stolen vehicle fled the scene but was located a short distance away by Kent PD and was arrested.
- A third suspect who was associated with the car, but was not in it at the time of contact, also fled the area but was arrested by Kent PD as well.
- Both suspects, ages 18 and 22 (passenger), were booked into the RJC for Investigation of Possession of a Stolen Vehicle.
Below is a photo of the AR-15 rifle the suspect had in his possession at the time of the shooting. Also in the photograph is the loaded magazine that was inserted into the rifle at the time of the shooting.
KCSO deputy involved in a shooting at Kent Station. I am en route to the scene. CE
— KingcosoPIO (@kingcosoPIO) July 26, 2018
Very few details of what happened are available so far but I’ve seen multiple specialized officers like a bomb K9 handler here as detectives continue going in and out of the parking garage. #KOMOnews pic.twitter.com/fb7hhHJD2X
— Jordan Treece (@JTreece406) July 26, 2018
.@kingcosoPIO says deputy spotted occupied stolen car in garage at Kent Station. Dep says driver reached for rifle, deputy fired his gun striking them. Suspect has died at HBV. Two more suspects caught by @kentpd #Q13FOX pic.twitter.com/IZ2EH3H9ol
— Steve Kiggins (@Q13FOXKiggins) July 26, 2018
Thank goodness another officer didn’t get hurt.