Washington State Patrol said an aircraft spotted a driver speeding at 110 mph on Interstate 5 near Fife late Friday night, leading to a series of evasive attempts before the car ultimately crashed into train tracks in Kent.
The incident began around 11 p.m. when Smokey, WSP’s airplane, tracked a vehicle racing northbound into King County.
Troopers on the ground attempted to stop the car in Auburn, but the driver refused to pull over.
Officials said troopers did not pursue directly because the plane was overhead and able to follow safely from above.
According to investigators, the driver made several attempts to hide by pulling into parking lots.
Each time troopers got close, the vehicle sped away.
On the final attempt, the driver shut off the car’s lights, ran through a T intersection, and went off the road, striking train tracks.
The driver then ran away into a nearby backyard. With the help of Kent police and WSP’s aircraft, troopers took the suspect into custody.
He was booked into King County Jail.
Troopers said this was the second time the driver has been arrested for attempting to elude law enforcement.
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