Getaway nap: Kent car thieves fall asleep with drugs in plain view

Two men in Kent have been arrested after attempting a vehicle theft on Sunday and falling asleep in a car with drug paraphernalia and fentanyl visible to responding officers.

At approximately 6:50 a.m., the Kent Police Department (KPD) was dispatched to 200 Washington Ave. S. for a reported attempted vehicle theft, KPD announced.

The 911 caller took videos of the suspects attempting to enter his vehicle, and proceeded to follow the suspects as they left the scene.

Kent suspects found asleep in a vehicle with drugs

As officers arrived, three suspects were found asleep in their car. Officers observed drug paraphernalia and what appeared to be a rock of fentanyl through the windows.

KPD noted the rock of fentanyl was in the lap of the front seat passenger. Additional units were requested for assistance as KPD assumed the suspects had fallen asleep due to drug use.

Officers delayed waking up the potentially intoxicated driver until tire deflation devices were in place, intending to prevent the driver from reentering the roadway and endangering others. A police car was also strategically positioned directly behind the suspect’s vehicle to deter an escape.

The driver was identified as a 30-year-old Chehalis man, who was cooperative when he woke up, and exited the vehicle after officers instructed. The man was “slow and sluggish” but followed all of the officers’ commands. KPD later determined the man had fentanyl in his pocket and was booked for possession of illegal narcotics.

One of the passengers was identified as a 43-year-old Kent man, who was not compliant with officers. The man refused to exit the vehicle after several commands from officers and did not keep his hands visible to officers.

The Kent man aggressively resisted officers as they attempted to remove him from the vehicle. As the man was being removed from the vehicle, an officer identified that the suspect had a handgun. The suspect was eventually placed into custody, and the firearm was determined to have been stolen from Everett in August 2025.

The male passenger was arrested and booked for an escape warrant, four counts of possession of legend drugs, possession of a stolen firearm, and resisting arrest.

The third passenger, a female, was detained without incident and not charged.

“We are thankful for a city that supports extensive officer training,” KPD stated. “This type of incident can go very wrong for our officers, but they slowed down, restricted the movement of the vehicle, had the appropriate gear to handle the job, and had extra officers present. All good decisions that protected the community and the officers.”

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