Seattle police officers pull man from burning car after crash

Seattle police say officers pulled a man from a burning car Monday night after the driver eluded officers and crashed into a tree in the Madison Valley neighborhood.

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The Seattle Police Department says officers spotted the driver near Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and East Yesler Way, staring at his phone while driving. The driver failed to yield and sped away in a white sedan.

Officers found the driver had crashed into a tree in the 1800 block of Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The driver was still buckled into the mangled car when police arrived. With help from a bystander, the officers cut the man out of the seat and moved him to safety just before the car erupted into flames and set off what sounded like rounds of ammunition inside the vehicle.

The man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in serious condition.

No other injuries were reported. Seattle police say two homes and a parked vehicle were damaged by pieces of the car, including a tire that flew off the white sedan.

The Seattle Fire Department arrived to extinguish the fire. Officers later collected a firearm magazine from the scene.

The driver is expected to be arrested, after he’s treated at Harborview, for eluding and unlawful possession of ammunition. He’s not allowed to possess ammunition as a convicted felon. Police say he has a domestic violence-related warrant for assault in the second degree, harassment, property damage and violation of a no-contact order.

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