A stolen Jeep run in Kent ended with a quick PIT maneuver, a K9 assist and one driver headed to jail on Pacific Highway South. Kent police say a 2005 Jeep Liberty was boxed in and spun into a grassy area after a brief pursuit, with photos showing the SUV turned sideways as officers closed in. A passenger bolted on foot while the driver was arrested and later booked into King County Jail on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude a police vehicle.
According to a Kent Police Department Facebook post, officers were already on a call in the 24000 block of Pacific Highway South on Tuesday when a Flock Safety camera pinged them about a nearby stolen vehicle. Officer Petersen received the alert, and Officer Wong tucked in behind the Jeep as it headed south with lights and sirens on, radioing for spike strips and watching for a chance to use a PIT maneuver. K9 Officer Tudor and his partner Frank backed the Jeep from the rear while another officer pinned the front. Police say the 40-year-old Kent resident driving the Jeep was taken into custody without further incident, booked into King County Jail, and that officers recovered multiple items commonly associated with stealing vehicles. The passenger who bailed out managed to get away on foot.
Flock Camera Alert Helped Officers Find the Car
Police say the recovery started when a Flock Safety automated license plate reader kicked out a hotlist alert that matched the stolen Jeep and pointed officers to the parking lot. Flock Safety systems scan plates, compare them with state and national databases and send near real time stolen vehicle alerts to agencies that use the system. The City of Lynnwood and other Puget Sound departments have described using similar alerts to track down stolen vehicles and give officers fast investigative leads.
Tactics And Legal Limits
Kent officers called for spike strips and worked to set up a PIT maneuver, both tactics that departments routinely train on as pursuit intervention options. Washington updated its vehicular pursuit rules in 2023, lowering the threshold in some situations and adding training and oversight requirements for officers, according to the Washington State Legislature. The law tells agencies to weigh safety tradeoffs before continuing a pursuit and to build plans that prioritize ending chases with approved tactics whenever possible.
Auto Theft Remains A Regional Problem
Vehicle theft has been a stubborn problem across Washington. A National Insurance Crime Bureau analysis listed Washington among the states with the highest theft rates in 2023. National figures show more than one million vehicles reported stolen in 2023, and many are recovered in the first 24 hours, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Those numbers have pushed agencies to lean on technology, like automated license plate readers, and targeted tactics in an effort to boost recovery rates and keep roads safer.
Charges And Next Steps
The Kent Police Department says the driver was booked into King County Jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude a police vehicle. Investigators also reported finding items commonly tied to vehicle theft inside the Jeep. The passenger who ran from the stop remained at large as of the department’s post, which includes photos from the scene and a short recap of how the stop unfolded…