Swatting call leads to arrest of man in Tukwila; woman escapes police in stolen car

TUKWILA, Wash. — Tukwila police arrested a man who tried to escape officers after being seen near a stolen car on Wednesday afternoon.

According to police, around 4 p.m., an officer saw an unoccupied car near Minkler Boulevard and Southcenter Parkway that had been stolen out of Auburn on Sunday.

As the officer investigated, he saw a man and a woman walk away from the car after they realized they had been noticed. Moments later, a false 911 call was made reporting that someone had been shot half a mile north of the location.

Police said the 911 call was an attempt to divert the officer away from the stolen car so the man and woman could drive off in it.

When the 911 diversion didn’t work, the man tried distracting the officer while the woman got into the driver’s seat of the car, police said.

The officer broke a window out and tried to stop the woman from getting away. The woman hit several parked cars in the parking lot before getting away from police. The officer received minor injuries and was taken to an area hospital for treatment.

The 42-year-old Tacoma man tried running away from officers but was quickly taken into custody and later booked into jail.

The woman was not apprehended but will face multiple felony charges, police said.

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