Police are looking for a potentially armed man who led troopers on a chase in a stolen vehicle, crashed and then assaulted another driver and took their vehicle in Edmonds Wednesday night, law enforcement officials said.
The chase started in an apartment complex in Everett when a Washington State Patrol trooper working another case noticed a driver slumped over the wheel in a pickup without plates, said State Patrol spokesman Trooper Jacob Kennett.
The trooper saw what appeared to be drugs in the truck, got the VIN number for the vehicle and learned the truck had been stolen and was reported to have had a gun inside at the time it was stolen, Kennett said. Additional units were called and spike strips were placed in front of the parked truck.
Police approached and the driver woke up, ran over the strips, hit an unoccupied parked vehicle and kept going, Kennett said.
Law enforcement pursued the driver, who crashed on 238th Street Southwest and Highway 99 in Edmonds, according to police.
There, the driver got out, assaulted the driver of another car that was at the intersection and carjacked the gray 2009 Acura TL, police said.
Kennett said the gun that was reported to be in the original stolen truck was not found, so the man is considered to be armed and dangerous.
Police described the driver as a white man with a dark face mask, black beanie and black coat.
Officials ask anyone who spots the car, with Washington license plate BPJ8450, to notify police if it’s seen, Kennett said.