(Emanuel Kozma, suspect being sought after King County Sheriff’s Office pursuit ended at 17th/Trenton)
8:07 PM: Thanks to everyone for the notes/texts. There’s a police search under way right now in south Highland Park, including K-9 officers – scanner traffic earlier indicated a pursuit may have been involved. One WSB’er says a car wound up on its side in an alley in the 17th/Trenton area. Another tells us that an officer at the scene told her this may have started with King County Sheriff’s Office deputies to the south and crossed the line into the city with Seattle Police helping. More to come.
8:17 PM: Our crew on the scene tells us that the Guardian One law-enforcement helicopter has joined the search. 17th is closed for several blocks in the area, as are parts of other streets – we won’t be specific about them since it’s an active search situation and detailing the full perimeter could jeopardize the investigation.
8:19 PM: IMPORTANT: If you are in that area, stay inside. We have just been told that sheriffs know who they are looking for and that the suspect is believed to be armed and dangerous.
8:35 PM: Expecting more info on the suspect from KCSO shortly. Just added video clip from the scene where the car went on its side – you can hear the chopper overhead.
8:40 PM: From Sgt. Cindi West:
Around 730 tonight our gang detectives attempted to stop a vehicle driven by a known convicted felon who they believe was armed with a firearm. When the detectives attempted to stop the vehicle near SW108/15 SW the vehicle fled north toward Seattle. As detectives chased the vehicle the occupants through a handgun out the window of the car. (that weapon has been recovered)
In the area of 17th and Henderson detectives lost the car. They learned from SPD that there was a roll -over accident at 17th and Trenton. Detectives went to that location and saw that it was the vehicle they had been trying to stop. A 22 year old female was in the car and taken to Highline Hospital with minor injuries. The male,, Emanuel Kozma, fled on foot in the area. He was last seen wearing a blue shirt with cutoff sleeves and dark pants.
The photo of him is very recent and he still has the goatee. He is said to be about 24 years old and about 5’7”. He may still be armed so residents should call 911 if they see him.
8:51 PM UPDATE: Moved the photo to the top of the story and moved the scene video down a line. No new information, but if you think you’ve seen him, or anything else suspicious in the surrounding area, please call 911.
9:04 PM: Just looked up the suspect’s background. He just got out of jail at 4:30 pm for a drug-related arrest.
9:50 PM: The search has scaled back and the helicopter has moved on; no arrest, though, according to Sgt. West. The tow truck has arrived to take away the crashed car.
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
TV crews have shown up too. Police will continue to be on alert; if you see/hear anything/anyone suspicious, again, call 911.
THURSDAY, 7:11 AM: Checked the jail register – no sign of Kozma. We’ll continue following up.
3:43 PM THURSDAY: Still on the loose. We asked Sgt. West about the circumstances of his Tuesday arrest, which was followed by his “conditional release” (per the jail register) from jail on Wednesday afternoon. She says, “He was arrested on 10/9/12 around 5:20 PM in the area of 1200 SW 102 St. There are no charges on him at this time but he was booked for investigation of VUCSA.” (That’s “Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act” – in other words, a drug charge, as we noted last night. We are checking with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to see if there was any documentation they had received yet detailing circumstances of the case for possible consideration of charges.)
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