The Bellevue Police Department released body-worn video Wednesday of the moment they arrested a man accused of trying to light an explosive on Interstate 90.
The 42-year-old is being held in King County Jail.
The incident happened Saturday and shut down part of the highway.
Bellevue Police said they got a call just after 10:30 a.m. about a suspicious vehicle at Enatai Beach Park.
When they arrived, officers found two men passed out inside the car with drug paraphernalia.
Officers put spike strips under the tires before waking the men, who panicked and tried to drive away.
The men didn’t get far; a slow-moving chase ended with a PIT maneuver on westbound I-90 near Mercer Island.
Court documents state that when the car stopped, the passenger jumped out and fell to the ground.
Officers found about 50 fentanyl pills on the man when they arrested him.
Meanwhile, police said the driver tried to make a run for it.
“The driver of the vehicle, at one point, turned around with what we can see is a lighter in one hand and a tennis ball-size explosive device in the other hand and he was attempting to light this device,” Captain Shelby Shearer with Bellevue Police told KIRO 7.
In the newly released body-worn video, one of the men is seen trying to throw the device at officers.
“They had to make a split-second decision to tackle or back away. It was a crowded freeway and they chose to tackle this person,” said Shearer.
Police said one device rolled under the freeway, causing a total closure in the area for about 45 minutes.
Washington State Patrol also released video of the incident:
KIRO 7′s Jason Sloss followed up and spoke with Bellevue Police about the incident, which can be found here.
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