Suspect steals car from Bellevue dealership while police on scene

Bellevue police arrested a car thief with incredibly bad timing Wednesday morning, officers said.

At 10:12 a.m., two Bellevue police motorcycle officers were in the parking lot of Michael’s Toyota in the Eastgate neighborhood investigating an unrelated crash that had occurred on Eastgate Way when an employee with the dealership approached the officers and told them of a vehicle theft that had just occurred.

The 26-year-old suspect had jumped into a brand new SUV that was parked in front of the dealership and drove off. The motorcycle officers quickly located the suspect driving on 148th Avenue and called in additional officers for assistance.

As the vehicle stopped in traffic on 148th Avenue near the intersection with Main Street, officers attempted to take the suspect into custody. Officers tried to break the windows of the vehicle with their batons and a window punch tool, without success.

An officer then placed spike strips in front of the vehicle.

As officers attempted to gain entry into the vehicle, the suspect drove forward into another vehicle, and then backed into a police motorcycle, knocking it over. The suspect then drove over the spike strips, flattening both front tires of the vehicle. The suspect stopped two blocks north of Main Street, where he was taken into custody by officers.

There were no injuries to officers, motorists, or the suspect.