Violent week of crime in Tukwila: fatal stabbing, double shooting, police cars struck

It’s been a violent week filled with crime in Tukwila.

A series of attacks have left a man stabbed to death, two other people shot and two K9 Patrol vehicles smashed up in separate crashes. In the worst of the crimes, detectives are on the hunt for a murder suspect after a deadly stabbing killing a teenager occurred Saturday morning.

Fatal stabbing on Friday in Tukwila

Police officers arrived just before noon Friday at S. 144th and International Boulevard, near the Tukwila Library, and found a 16-year-old boy injured from a stabbing. Police tried to keep him alive with life-saving efforts, then handed him over to arriving medics.

He eventually died at the scene.

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That attack happened just a couple of blocks west of Foster High School and Showalter Middle School. Officials placed both schools in lockdown as a precaution, even though they were uncertain about the suspect’s whereabouts.

The responding police department’s Major Crimes Unit has taken over the investigation into that homicide.

Two injured in Friday Tukwila shooting

Four hours later, 911 received multiple calls about a shooting just north of the Southcenter parking lot that left two people in critical condition.

At approximately 4 p.m. Saturday, reports came in that someone had fired shots on Tukwila Parkway, near the on-ramp to northbound Interstate 405 (I-405).

When officers got there, the two victims had left the area. The shooter was also long gone. There may have been more than one person involved.

Witnesses parked at a nearby restaurant who heard gunshots told responding officers they first saw one person running from the scene toward their car. Later, they spotted several others running away.

Police eventually found the two shooting victims in the City of SeaTac. Medics transported both to the hospital, where they are currently in critical condition.

So far, police have not identified or arrested any suspects.

Tukwila Police Department’s K9 vehicles involved in crashes

Those two violent incidents came after the Tukwila Police Department’s K9 vehicles were struck, not once, but twice in one week.

On Sunday, officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle on 57th Ave. S. near S. 150th, about a half mile north of Southcenter. When officers arrived, the suspect tried to drive away and hit the K9 vehicle.

The man driving took off on foot, leaving behind a female passenger. Officers used the trained K9 dog, as well as a drone, to track him down. Police said he was found hiding in a thick brush nearby.

According to investigators, the man at first gave a false name. Later, officers figured out what his real name was. That’s when they discovered a judge had issued a domestic violence protection order to stay away from the woman who was in the car with him.

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Officers also recovered a gun from the car.

The suspect who slammed his car into the K9 vehicle told police he had just consumed fentanyl. Police believe his claim was a “desperate attempt” to avoid going to jail.

They took him to a hospital to be medically cleared for arrest on charges of felony eluding, hit-and-run, order violations and weapons charges.

That incident came after a similar collision occurred exactly a week earlier. On Sunday, Jan. 5, another car rammed into a K9 vehicle.

Officers had responded to a domestic violence incident involving a gun on Southcenter Boulevard just east of 42nd Ave. S. Once again, a suspect tried to drive off just as officers were arriving and crashed into a Tukwila K9 patrol vehicle.

Because of that collision, a pursuit of the suspect was authorized. But when officers realized the suspect drove onto Interstate 5 (I-5), they called off the chase.

Police said they know who the suspect is, but he is still at large. If arrested, he’ll also be facing several charges, including felony eluding and hit-and-run.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Tom Brock is a weekend anchor, editor and reporter for KIRO Newsradio