Auburn police took three young men into custody after a chase last Thursday morning that began with a burglary and ended when one suspect tried to escape police by jumping into the frigid, fast-flowing waters of the Green River near the Auburn Golf Course.
Firefighters from the Valley Regional Fire Authority and King County Medic One Paramedics treated the man for minor injuries and transported him to Auburn Regional Medical Center.
Police scoured the brush along the river for the fourth suspect, but without success. He was later identified. Charges will be filed against him and a warrant issued for his arrest.
All three of the men arrested are last known to be Auburn residents and range from 19-24 years of age. Charges against them were forwarded to the King County Prosecutor Monday, but the snowfall forced the early closure of the King County Courthouse, and the records were not available by the time this issue went to press.
Events began to unfold about 8 a.m. when an Auburn woman on the 10900 block of Southeast 284th Street called 911 to report seeing four men breaking into her neighbor’s house. Auburn Sgt. Dave Colglazier said the woman gave Auburn police the license plate number, and officers quickly identified it as stolen car from the city of Seattle.
An officer who was in the area spotted the suspect vehicle traveling on 104th Avenue Southeast, at which point the car picked up speed in an attempt to get away. After a short pursuit, the men abandoned the car near the Auburn Golf Course and ran toward the river near Isaac Evans Park.
One of the suspects jumped into the river and tried to swim away. The lone officer realized the man was in immediate danger and directed his attention to him. The officer tried to run ahead of the man to rescue him, but the dense brush and steep bank prevented him from reaching the man.
River Rescue Units from the Valley Regional Fire Authority (VRFA) were already en route at that time to assist. After an initial report of two people possibly in the river, one boat was deployed and several firefighters stationed themselves along the river to look for the man. Many additional Auburn police units began search efforts along the river, while simultaneously searching for the remaining three suspects. In the meantime, the first officer continued to search the river’s edge. He found the man and pulled him to safety. Firefighters and paramedics treated the man, who was clearly suffering from the effects of being in the cold water and firefighters transported to the Auburn Regional Medical Center.
The report of a second subject in the river turned out to be false, so and fire crews called off the search. Twenty-six fire personnel participated in the search. and King County Medic One Paramedics helped with patient evaluation.
The suspect vehicle has been impounded for processing. Additionally, two of the three remaining suspects were arrested a short distance from the abandoned suspect car.
The river was estimated to be moving at 5-9 mph with a temperature in the low 40s, the VRFA said in a press release.
