SEATTLE — A man accused of purchasing multiple vehicles over several months using another man’s identity was arrested Saturday.
According to court documents, the 40-year-old suspect purchased a vehicle at a Toyota dealership in Lake City using another man’s name on Nov. 8, 2022.
He went on to purchase three vehicles from a Seattle Jeep Dealership using the same stolen identity between Nov. 11 and Dec. 29, 2022.
On Feb. 3, the man whose identity had been stolen contacted the Seattle Police Department and filed a police report for identity theft after he learned of the vehicle purchases made in his name and unauthorized activity to his bank account.
The victim told police he worked overseas in Kuwait and had not been in the United States for over two years.
On Feb. 21, the suspect inquired about purchasing a vehicle at another dealership, this time using a different man’s identity. However, the dealership’s finance manager determined that the suspect was lying about his identity and contacted this second victim about the attempted purchase.
This victim also contacted SPD to file a police report for identity theft.
On Feb. 25, the suspect reached out to the Seattle Jeep dealership via text to inquire about purchasing a Tesla, again using the second victim’s name.
Two days later, he went to the dealership, wearing a wig and glasses, to complete the purchase of the Tesla, but a sales representative told him he could not take the car from the lot because he did not bring a physical form of ID with him.
The following morning, the suspect sent a photo of a driver’s license to the sale representative. The employee could tell the ID had been altered because the fonts did not match up, the photo appeared to be changed and the street name was misspelled.
Later that day, the sales representative called the suspect and asked him to return to the dealership. Once the suspect arrived, the sales representative attempted to stall him in the showroom while they called 911. The suspect eventually got impatient and left the dealership.
Throughout the next two weeks, police spoke with the victims, who all stated that they never authorized or attempted to obtain any loans with the intent to purchase a vehicle.
Detectives also met with employees at both dealerships who were able to pick the suspect out of a photo montage.
At about 9 p.m. Saturday, officers followed one of the vehicles that had been fraudulently purchased until it pulled into a gas station on Lake City Way Northeast.
As officers moved in to make an arrest, the suspect took off, running across the roadway. After a brief chase on foot, police arrested the 40-year-old man for identity theft, motor vehicle theft and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Police also recovered a firearm that the suspect threw during the foot pursuit.
A 31-year-old woman who was in the vehicle with the suspect was also arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle.
Both were booked into the King County Jail.
In all, the arrest of the male suspect closed five open cases for the Seattle Police Department.
On Thursday, the King Country Prosecuting Attorney’s Office rush filed charges for unlawful possession of a firearm, identity theft in the first and second degree, and theft of a motor vehicle times four.
The defendant’s arraignment is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. on March 27.
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