West Seattle Blog…

What all those police cars are doing at 35th/Fauntleroy

January 29, 2010 at 11:50 pm | In West Seattle news, West Seattle police | 12 Comments

(Photo added 12:17 am, thanks to Katie for sharing it)
11:50 PM: An allegedly drunk driver has been stopped after reportedly speeding westbound on The Bridge. It all started on The Viaduct, according to a tweet from @SeaCrime – we came in on the scanner traffic toward the end. A fire unit’s being called in to check on the driver’s condition. We’ve received multiple calls/notes/tweets about the major police response – thanks! 12:17 AM: Added a photo taken by Katie, who says the driver was in a maroon Subaru that “spun around,” apparently after a certain technique was deployed by officers to stop it. She was close enough to hear the driver – who is on the ground by the officers in the background – say slowly, “I….was….trying to find…a place to…PARK it.”

12 Comments

1. Friday night – full moon – luckily he didn’t PARK it in someone else’s car or house or business. Saturday morning isn’t gonna feel very good for him, I’m afraid.

   Comment by JanS — January 30, 10 1:41 am #

2. Now that is effective police work. This guy was drunk, driving on rims and possibly heading into the middle of the junction on a Friday night!

   Comment by Law Dog — January 30, 10 4:01 am #

3. As a dedicated COPS fan that would be the famous PIT maneuver where the police car matches speed, and nudges the rear of the target car which then completes a half-spin.

   Comment by JayDee — January 30, 10 8:08 am #

4. Awesome. I watched ~20 police cars with lights and sirens flying over the bridge. We thought, “Hey must be a nuke or something on Harbor Island.”

   Nope…it was a lone drunk driver.

   What’s sad…We can have 20-30 high/drunk gang-bangers milling outside our neighborhood eyesore house disturbing the peace and racing up and down the street at 3 am and NOT ONE COP SHOWS UP on calls from MULTIPLE NEIGHBORS.

   Comment by 20 Car Salute — January 30, 10 8:21 am #

5. I guess he found a place to park it!

   Comment by 35this35mph — January 30, 10 8:44 am #

6. Yes, that’s what Katie explained – there seem to be numerous examples of it on YouTube. I’m more familiar with the ol’ “toss the spike strip out in front of the pursued car” maneuver, although that’s easier on surface streets than on Viaduct/WS Bridge.

   Comment by WSB — January 30, 10 8:54 am #

7. He was driving on his rims AND drunk – very dangerous. Could have killed many people. Started downtown thus the SPD police response. SPD does not practice the PIT maneuver for safety – this PIT was done by King County who are cleared to do the PIT.

   Comment by goodworkspd — January 30, 10 11:25 am #

8. 20 Car Salute: where do you live with that kind of excitement?

   Comment by bridge to somewhere — January 30, 10 3:10 pm #

9. Heard sirens coming off bridge, then hear rims grinding pavement. Ran out to see action and it appeared they pitted and tazed him… you could hear screams and yelps from the guy in the car half a block a way.

   Comment by Alkilover — January 30, 10 3:12 pm #

10. So glad they got him!! 20 Car Salute: I feel your pain…happens in my neighborhood too :( Sometimes it feels like we have to mention a weapon to get anyone to come.

    Comment by MB — January 30, 10 8:08 pm #

11. They very well could have saved many lives (and property damage) that night.

    Comment by AD — January 31, 10 1:34 pm #

12. Many of you dont understand that drunk/impaired drivers kill more people each year than the crooks with guns. Thank you officers for getting another potential killer off the street. Good job tammy

    Comment by KCPD 3101 — February 4, 10 7:09 pm #

Sorry, comment time is over.