Two suspects driving a stolen vehicle hit a 9-year-old girl on Dexter Avenue and Denny Way in a hit and run collision yesterday, Monday, May 30.
At approximately 5:08 p.m. Monday a Seattle Police Department officer on patrol near 5th Avenue and Broad Street observed a green 1997 Toyota Land Cruiser speeding through the area, according to the SPD Blotter report.
The officer began following the suspect while running the vehicle’s license plate, verifying that the suspect vehicle had in fact been stolen. The officer then called in for additional backup to help him conduct a high-risk traffic stop. The officer attempted to pull over the suspect in the 200 block of Blanchard Street, at which point the suspect failed to yield and began disregarding traffic control signals. At this point a SPD supervisor ordered the pursuit to be terminated. From the SPD Blotter:
Some time later the officer called out over his police radio that the suspect had run over a child near the intersection of Dexter Avenue and Denny Way.
The officer stopped to render assistance to the nine-year-old girl and called for medics. SFD medics responded to the scene and subsequently transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect entered the intersection of Dexter Avenue and Denny Way at speed from the south. The suspect attempted to turn east onto Denny Way however, he drove across the double-yellow centerline and both westbound traffic lanes of Denny Way and onto the north side sidewalk of Denny Way. The suspect struck a tree and then struck a nine-year-old girl who was walking down the sidewalk with her mother.
The suspect failed to stop and render aid and continued driving into Denny Park. The suspect drove through a grassy area of the park and back out onto the street at the east end of the park, continuing in an unknown direction.
SPD officers conducted an area search, locating the suspect vehicle, which was unoccupied at the time, near Mercer Street and Yale Avenue. The vehicle was impounded and taken in for examination by SPD Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) detectives. Neither the suspect nor front-seat passenger, both believed to be males, were found. No other people or vehicles were involved in the collision.
SPD’s Traffic Collision Investigation Squad detectives are continuing an active investigation and are asking anyone with information about this incident, or knowledge of the identity or whereabouts of the suspect and/or passenger, to call into SPD and refer to this incident. SPD says anonymous tips are welcome.