The suspected shooters driving a stolen Dodge Challenger fired as many as 11 rounds into an unmarked Seattle police vehicle during a police chase through South Seattle on Wednesday, according to court records.
The incident ended when the stolen vehicle crashed, and four people, including two suspects, a bystander and a police officer, were treated at area hospitals.
A probable cause statement by police for one of the three people arrested in the incident sheds further light on the pursuit. The statement concerns a 26-year-old man who police said has been previously convicted of robbery in the first degree. He's now accused of attempted murder. The Seattle Times typically does not name suspects before charges have been filed.
Two undercover police officers with the city's Community Response Group were driving separately in unmarked vehicles when they spotted a Dodge Challenger with no license plates. The officers followed the vehicle, with one officer driving ahead, according to the statement.
At one point, the Dodge turned onto South Kenyon Street, and when the undercover officer turned to follow, he discovered the suspect vehicle had stopped, with its doors ajar.
Two people standing outside of the vehicle began to fire" at the plainclothes officer, who accelerated to put distance between himself and the shooters, according to the statement. "The suspects continued to shoot at the unmarked vehicle as it drove away."
The court papers do not explain what may have caused the suspects to target the plainclothes officer.
In the spot where the suspects opened fire, detectives later found 10 shell casings from a 9-mm gun.
Detectives also later examined the unmarked vehicle that had been shot at and found "approximately 8-11 suspected bullet holes spanning from the front driver's side panel all the way to the rear of the vehicle," according to the statement. "At least one bullet penetrated the vehicle door (and) entered into the vehicle.
The suspects fled in the stolen car on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, when a marked police cruiser initiated a pursuit. That's when the suspect vehicle collided with a Toyota Highlander, severely damaging both vehicles. All three suspects were arrested after the collision, including one who tried to escape by attempting to carjack a Toyota Prius, police said.
The driver of the Highlander was taken to the hospital for injuries, police said previously.
A police officer injured in the crash was treated at a hospital and released.
A King County judge found probable cause to hold the 26-year-old man in jail pending charges of attempted murder in the first degree, unlawful possession of a firearm and drive-by shooting.
One of the suspects was a 17-year-old boy. He had a first appearance in juvenile court on two counts of robbery in the first degree and one count of attempted robbery in the first degree, for prior incidents in Queen Anne and in the Beacon Hill area, according to the King County prosecutor's office.
The third suspect, 20, remained in Harborview Medical Center as of Thursday. Police believe he was the second shooter.
Officers recovered a handgun and a rifle from the Challenger.
The episode caused Sound Transit to briefly close its Othello station.
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