Suspect arrested after shooting trooper during traffic stop in Kent
Feb 17, 2024, 9:52 AM | Updated: Feb 19, 2024, 3:00 pm
A WSP vehicle responding to a crime scene. (Photo courtesy of WSP)
(Photo courtesy of WSP)
A trooper was shot multiple times after attempting to make a traffic stop in Kent Friday night, according to Washington State Patrol (WSP).
A vehicle fled from a traffic stop near an apartment complex on W. James Place around approximately 11 p.m. The driver allegedly collided with another car at the intersection, according to KIRO 7.
#Breaking Trooper attempted to make a traffic stop and vehicle fled near Driftwood apartments in Kent. Suspect fled on foot and fired at the trooper hitting him in the leg. He is being transported to Harborview with non-life threatening injuries. I am heading to the scene now.
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) February 17, 2024
The chase continued on foot into an apartment complex, where the driver allegedly shot the trooper several times. The trooper was taken to Harborview Medical Center for treatment.
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The law enforcement agency authorized both aircraft and K-9 units to try and locate the suspect, eventually spotting both the driver and a woman companion, who were taken into custody.
WSP Captain Ron Mead called out the violence he’s saying on the roads and throughout the state.
“The violence that we’re seeing, not only on just the freeway system, but just in general, is alarming. And (I’m) grateful that the trooper’s injuries, while very serious, aren’t any worse than they are,” Mead said, according to KIRO Newsradio.
Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.
