Suspects attempt to flee from Bellevue Police in vehicle unable to exceed 25 mph

BELLEVUE, Wash. (KOMO) — Part-comedy and part-suspense, an incident involving Bellevue Police at the tail-end of January had it all.

Just before 2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26, officers watched as a vehicle ran a red light near Factoria Boulevard and SE 41st Place.

The officers ran the plate, discovering that the vehicle was reported stolen out of Tacoma.

They then attempted a traffic stop. Although the suspect vehicle failed to yield, a mechanical issue prevented it from going any faster than roughly 25 miles per hour, according to Bellevue Police. Also, despite fleeing from police, the vehicle observed the rules of the road, allowing Bellevue officers to pursue.

Then, about a mile and a half away from the initial scene in the 3700 block of 118th Avenue SE, the vehicle suddenly caught fire and became fully engulfed in flames.

The suspect driver fled into the Mercer Slough while the female passenger was detained as she exited the vehicle.

The pursuit of the suspect driver was stopped when the male entered very thick bushes and threatened that he had a gun, stating that he was not going back to jail, according to officers.

As officers waited for a K9 unit to try to safely detain the suspect, he continued to flee further into the thick brush and officers lost sight of him. A K9 track was initiated but was unsuccessful in locating the suspect.

The passenger was taken into custody and booked into jail.