Suspect in Bellevue hit-and-run incident caught in Everett, then released



BELLEVUE, Wash. - Everett Police caught the man wanted in connection with a strange hit-and-run incident in a Bellevue strip mall parking lot on Saturday.

Jonathon Packard was questioned on Sunday morning, then released.

Police said the man he appeared to have abducted was found near the scene early Sunday morning.

Detectives believe the men knew each other, but their exact relationship is unclear.



The driver of a Jeep Cherokee was reportedly backing up in the lot in the 200 block of Bellevue Way NE around 5p.m. Saturday night, Bellevue Police Captain Marcia Harnden told Q13 News.

The driver pinned another man between the Jeep and a parked Mazda car.  When Jeep pulled forward, the pinned man fell to the ground and could not get up, Harnden said.

The Jeep's driver helped the man up but then forced him into the Jeep, witnesses told police.

The injured man was heard protesting that he did not want to get into the Jeep, and a witness took a picture of the driver and the Jeep, Harnden said.

The driver reportedly said something about taking the man to the hospital and then drove off.

Bellevue police tweeted this late Saturday night:



A Bellevue Fire crew spotted the victim near the area of the original incident, just after midnight Sunday.

He was taken to Overlake Medical Center for minor injuries.



This is a developing story and will be updated.