'He's shooting at us!' SPD releases new videos of suspect carjacking vehicles, shooting at cops during chase

SEATTLE -- The Seattle Police Department  on Thursday released new videos of a man carjacking two vehicles at gunpoint and then firing back at pursuing officers in a wild car chase through city streets.

The SPD on Monday had released an initial video of the car chase and the police shooting that killed the suspect on Sunday, Dec. 6. The new videos show the suspect carjacking two of three vehicles and then, at one point, slowing down in his stolen black Camaro to fire back at police chasing him.

"F---, are you OK?" one officer asks another as shots are heard. "Shots fired, shots fired," an officer can be heard saying. "He's shooting at us!" the other officer says.

Here is the suspect carjacking a red Volkswagen and later a black Camaro. He also carjacked a minivan, which was not captured on video:



Here is the updated shooting video, in which for the first time the suspect in the black Camaro can be seen slowing down and firing back at the pursuing officers. That comes at about 1:40 into this video.

Raw video (WARNING: Some graphic language):



Police said the suspect, a 35-year-old violent felon, brandished two handguns at several downtown businesses, carjacked three vehicles and fired on officers before a fatal confrontation in northeast Seattle.

Police said they received their first call about the suspect from staff at Storyville Coffee in the 90 block of Pike Street at about 12:35 p.m. Sunday. The suspect reportedly entered the store and began manipulating a handgun in his pocket, leading employees to call 911. He later brandished a handgun at the owner of the Turkish Delight restaurant.

 

He did that at several other businesses before hijacking a Volkswagen Golf from a driver at gunpoint, police said. They added that he later hijacked a red minivan and then, even later, a Chevy Camaro. Officers found the suspect driving the Camaro in the 5700 block of Roosevelt Way NE.

One officer attempted to disable the suspect’s vehicle by ramming it near Roosevelt and NE 45th Street. Dashcam video of the jarring collision shows an officer slamming his patrol car into the suspect’s vehicle, crushing the patrol car’s front end and pushing the Camaro into the intersection.

As the chase continued through North Seattle, the suspect fired on pursuing officers, SPD said.

The pursuit ended in the Wedgwood neighborhood, where officers collided head-on with the suspect’s Camaro at NE 68th Street and 35th Avenue NE. The suspect reportedly pointed his gun at officers and began maneuvering the Camaro towards police, who opened fire. A barrage of gunfire can be heard on the video.

SWAT officers approached the suspect and fired. The suspect died at the scene, with two guns found in his possession, SPD said.

No one else was hurt.

Twelve SPD officers have been placed on paid administrative leave in connection with the incident, as per standard department policy.

Investigators are asking anyone who has information about the case, or was involved in the incident and have not yet contacted SPD, to call the Force Investigation Team at (206) 684-9292.