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| A deputy surveys damage after a dept vehicle collided with a jeep during the chase. (photo by Megan Calbero) |
Shortly after 11 a.m. a deputy spotted the 38-year-old suspect in his car speaking with a woman in Lake Stevens. The deputy suspected drug involvement and approached the suspect, who then turned on his vehicle and began revving his engine. The woman got into the vehicle around this time, according to Rebecca Hover, spokeswoman for the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
The suspect began driving despite orders to stop. They drove west bound over the trestle into Everett and onto the EvCC campus.
Both suspects are now in custody. The male has had two felony warrants for arrest and now has additional booking charges for the pursuit and attempt to assault the deputy. The female, who was throwing things out of the window as they drove, faces charges of rendering criminal assistance. And has a misdemeanor warrant. During the chase, a Sheriff’s vehicle struck an unrelated vehicle occupied by two students.
Alex Cracchiolo and Hawke Monirul, both EvCC students, were on their way to a friend’s house during a break between classes when the suspect’s car drove passed. The students said the car almost hit them.
Soon after, a Sheriff’s vehicle struck the passenger side of the Jeep Liberty that Cracchiolo was driving.
Cracchiolo claims they did not hear the sirens from the Sheriff’s car, and they did not see any lights.
“We had our windows down too,” he said.
Police told him that the sirens and light were turned on.
The sheriff had been going approximately 50 miles per hour and Cracchiolo was driving 25 to 30 miles per hour. The Jeep was left with a flat tire on the front right side, shattered headlights, and a broken bumper.
The students were not injured, though Hawke mentioned slight discomfort in his head and shoulders. During impact he hit his head on the window.
The sheriff was taken to the hospital.
John Olson, vice president of college advancement and executive director of the EvCC Foundation, sent out an email, initiating a lock-down that lasted 20 minutes in Gray Wolf Hall and Olympus.
Students were rushed into classrooms and remained there until Craig Lewis, Dean of Communication and Social Sciences, said it was safe.
Instructors in Whitehorse and Shuksan Hall remained uninformed of the event.
If you were on campus and have any information, comments or photos of the incident this morning, please contact us either via a comment to this post or email theclogspot@gmail.com with anything you can share.
This is an on-going story and will be updated as we come into more information...
Two arrested after police chase through college campus
By Ashley Stewart
The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office arrested a man and a woman Monday morning on W. Marine View Drive after the suspects led deputies on a high-speed chase for more than 15 miles.
The sheriff’s office engaged in pursuit near Machais. The suspects were driving northbound on Broadway when they turned up Tower Street and into the Everett Community College campus.
The suspect drove through the campus, between buildings, and over some flowerbeds into the college’s back parking lot.
“He took a few plants with him,” said John Syson, grounds and nursery specialist.
The driver struck a locked gate and threw a white jacket from the car before driving onto Wetmore Avenue.
The jacket was taken in as evidence.
Witness Aimie Litchfield was standing nearby when the driver struck the gate.
“The gate hit my bag and sent my stuff flying,” she said.
Litchfield also reported that the suspect had trouble making turns and was followed by at least three sheriff’s cars.
There were no reported injuries to Everett Community College students or staff, according to Betty Fletcher, campus security.
The suspects were apprehended near Legion Park on Alverson Blvd. and W. Marine View Drive after the deputies used their own cars to force the driver to stop, disabling his vehicle.
The make and model of the vehicle is unknown at this time, according to Everett Police Sgt. Robert Goetz.
“It is not clear why the suspects fled, although it may have been because of felony warrants,” said Goetz.
During the pursuit, a sheriff’s car crashed into another vehicle on 8th Street and Colby Avenue. There did not appear to be any injuries, according to Goetz.
“We are very thankful that no students, police officers or sheriffs deputies were hurt today,” said Katherine Schiffner, director of public relations at EvCC.
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