Southcenter Mall locked down after police shoot suspected car thief

One officer was injured, a suspect shot and three people taken into custody after a wild chase around Southcenter Mall in Tukwila Wednesday afternoon.

An officer on routine patrol near the mall saw a car driving in the wrong direction just after noon. When he checked the license plate he learned the car was stolen and radioed ahead to other officers, according to police spokesman Mike Murphy.

The car pulled into the mall parking lot, and police converged on the scene minutes later and found the car parked in the Cascade parking garage. While the driver wasn’t there, police detained a woman near the car for questioning.

Another officer saw a man matching the description of the driver of the stolen car in another vehicle outside Nordstrom. When the officer ordered the driver to stop, he instead sped off, hitting the officer and several parked cars. The officer fired at the car as it fled, hitting one of the men. His condition is unknown.

Police say the officer’s injuries appear minor.

Other officers chased the car to the nearby Target, where it was cornered in the loading dock area.

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