Truck Theft Suspect Killed By Deputies Near Enumclaw

ENUMCLAW, WA — A man was shot and killed by King County detectives late Monday morning after a confrontation near Enumclaw. Investigators had been searching for a man wanted in connection with the theft of a truck from Black Diamond last week. A 4-year-old poodle, who was inside the truck when it was stolen, was recovered by deputies at the shooting scene and reunited with its family.

According to the sheriff's office, the charcoal-colored Ford Raptor truck was taken from a Cenex gas station Friday. Surveillance video captured a man hopping inside and taking off with the gas pump still attached and a dog in a passenger seat. Authorities have not yet confirmed the man seen in the video is the same man who was shot Monday.

Sgt. Ryan Abbott, a sheriff's office spokesman, said a deputy first spotted the stolen truck driving in southeast King County Monday morning. Before a traffic stop could happen, the truck sped away. The deputy told Washington State Patrol and troopers briefly chased the truck before losing sight of it. Two King County detectives found the truck a short time later, driving near Southeast 352nd Street and Veazie Cumberland Road Southeast.

According to Abbott, the truck rammed the passenger side of the detectives' unmarked SUV before both vehicles came to a stop just after 11:50 a.m. Abbott said the detectives approached the truck after the crash and some kind of physical struggle ensued, ending with both detectives shooting the man fatally.

Investigators identified the person killed only as a man in his 30s. A formal identification will come from the King County Medical Examiner.

Seattle Police Department is handling the shooting investigation since it involved sheriff's department staff. Both detectives are on paid administrative leave while the investigation continues, per standard procedure.