EVERETT — Hand-cuffed and under-arrest in the back seat of a Snohomish County Sheriff deputy’s cruiser for alleged felony eluding and reckless driving, a 21-year-old Porsche driver asked the arresting deputy if there was anything he could do to get his sports car back.
The deputy’s blunt response was, “Don’t run from police.”
The verbal exchange, after the high-speed driving and eluding arrest, was captured on officer body cam video released by the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office after the chase ended in South Everett October 18.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, a deputy initiated the pursuit on northbound I-5, just south of SR 526 at approximately 6:21 p.m. but terminated pursuit after the Porsche exited onto Broadway Avenue and continued fleeing.
Sheriff’s deputies then deployed its newly acquired drone camera to track the speeding Porsche driver’s location which eventually ended in South Everett. With the aerial camera assist, deputies intercepted the suspect Porsche driver near Everett Mall Way and 7th Avenue SE, prompting a second brief pursuit. The SCSO’s ‘drone as first responder’ program began in September.
Deputies utilized spike strips near 7th Avenue SE and 112th Street SE, bringing the chase to an end. The driver stopped and surrendered without further incident, and no injuries or vehicle damage were reported.
The officer bodycam footage shows a conversation between the suspect and deputy after the arrest. The driver claims, “I was just trying to get home,” but the deputy intercedes, telling him he was attempting to escape deputies.
A Sheriff’s spokesman says the driver’s arrest resulted in felony attempting-to-elude entries, reckless driving, and reckless endangerment charges. The Snohomish County Prosecutor will decide which charges are ultimately filed. Attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle while driving recklessly is a Class C felony.
In the bodycam video released by the SCSO in announcing the arrest and as a general warning about reckless driving, the deputy advises the arrest suspect that the Porsche could be seized by Snohomish County if it is proven in court to be used in commission of a felony.
