Pursuit of fugitive closes I-5, ends in Everett neighborhood

VIDEO

When Interstate-5 closes in both directions, that’s news. When it shuts down along the greater Seattle-metro corridor during the evening rush-hour, that’s a nightmare.

Why was I-5 shutdown on Wednesday? The Seattle Times lead paragraph sums it up rather neatly:

A suspect was arrested in Everett on Wednesday night after allegedly shooting at deputies, causing a rollover crash, fleeing on foot and causing a shutdown of Interstate 5 that backed up traffic for hours, according to Rebecca Hover, a spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office. -Seattle Times

The very active manhunt for the suspect culminated with the arrest of a 23-year-old Lynnwood man.  Contrary to the notion that spawned the earlier police chase, the suspect had not been driving a stolen car.  Turns out he was already a wanted man, though.  According to the Seattle Times, the Department of Corrections has warrants out for the young man’s arrest.

In a sign of the times, a lot of people used (can we say “tuned in” to)  a scanner app on their smart phones to listen to the manhunt.  More than a hundred people were in one scanner app’s chat room when I began listening on my Droid Incredible.  About 20-minutes later, that number had grown to well-over 400.

I set-out toward Evergreen Way and 75th Street knowing traffic would be a bear.

Traffic on Evergreen Way moved slowly.  Four-tenths of a mile from the scene, I listened to the scanner as an investigator reported that he had spotted the wanted man.  Assisted by a police dog,  he apprehended the fugitive. And then called for an ambulance.

By the time I got to the scene, the ambulance had already come and gone.  The object of the manhunt now hospital bound.

Final hints of daylight were fading fast.  Although I didn’t have a camera light or a proper microphone, I figured I’d check-out the scene.

Two people agreed to go on-camera.  A.J. Woolsey lives three doors down from where the suspect was captured.  Robin Lessley lives even closer, directly across the street.  You can watch their interviews in the video below.