Van crashes into Burien clothing store, injuring 11 people



BURIEN, Wash. -- Authorities say 11 people were injured, including a 2-year-old boy, when a van crashed into a Ross Dress for Less store during an attempted shoplifting getaway.

Deputies were called at 9:15 p.m. Monday to the store on 1st Avenue S. in Burien.

King County Sheriff's Sgt. Ryan Abbott said a shoplifting suspect ran out of the store and into a van. A getaway driver took off, careening into a car outside the Ross store and then into the business, Abbott said.

“A lot of people started fleeing as soon as the van came in,″ Abbott said. "People were scattering of course and trying to get away."

The vehicle hit a stroller with a 2-year-old boy in it and several other people. The boy and two men were critically injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center, according to the sheriff’s office. Eight others were injured and taken to hospitals.

The van’s driver was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs, Abbott said. The female passenger was arrested on a previous warrant.

The van could be seen sitting in the front of the store, with glass and other debris from the storefront all around it.