SEATTLE — A dramatic shootout was all caught on Seattle police body cameras. New video shows what happened during a violent encounter with a drug sting suspect near downtown Seattle.
This shooting happened Wednesday afternoon, just a couple of hours before the deadly downtown Seattle shooting that also left several people hurt.
The officers were there responding to complaints from neighbors that drugs were being openly sold in the Belltown area.
Seattle police and King County sheriff’s deputies, working together, pulled over a driver in the area.
But after a few minutes, the driver tried taking off.
That’s when officers and deputies opened fire.
A King County Metro bus stopped at busy 3rd Avenue and Blanchard in Belltown, the Seattle police officer’s body camera rolling. The officer approached a man in a suspicious vehicle with his driver’s license. It was about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.
“Well, your license is valid,” the officer said, handing the man back his license. “You’re not wanted or anything. So the owner of this car has a DOC (Department of Corrections) felony warrant.”
The driver told the officer he was the new owner and he was on his way to get the vehicle transferred to his name. He apologized.
“No warrant, though?” an officer asked.
“No, he’s clear,” replied another officer. “He’s got no warrant.”
“No warrant?” an officer confirmed. "And he’s got positive ID?
Another officer approached the car.
“Would you do me a favor and step out?” he asked.
“So I stopped you for the car,” said the officer who pulled him over. “These guys have another reason why they want to talk to you, OK?”
Another officer began to talk to the driver. It is then, the Seattle Police Department said, that the officer noticed the driver had a gun.
The driver suddenly pulled off.
“Yo, relax, relax,” an officer shouted. “Stop! Stop!”
That was followed by a loud volley of gunshots.
“Put your hands up,” an officer shouted. “Put your hands up.”
All of this happened in full view of several spectators.
The streets in bustling Belltown were shut down just as the evening commute was about to begin.
The officers stopped firing their weapons when they could see the driver was no longer moving, the emotion of the moment evident in their voices.
“He’s unconscious right now, guys!” an officer shouted, as they pulled the driver out of the vehicle. “Let’s get him out. Come out. Come out. Come out. Come, get him in custody. Get him in custody.”
The 25-year-old driver was hurt. He was treated at Harborview Medical Center, police said, then booked into the King County Jail.
As per newly passed Initiative 940, the shooting is being investigated by the South King County Valley Investigative Unit.
Below is raw video of police body camera footage of the shooting in Belltown. Warning, the video contains graphic or alarming material.
This browser does not support the video element.