Man sets fire to Seattle police car with officer still inside: authorities
A Seattle police officer sitting in a patrol car Thursday afternoon suffered minor burns after a man set the vehicle on fire and ran away, authorities said.
The officer’s vehicle was parked in an alley around 1:30 p.m. when the attacker thew a flaming piece of wood into the car, triggering a massive fire, according to police. The officer managed to get out and was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening burns.
Police said the suspect was caught in a nearby parking garage and was taken into custody after being tased. His name has not been released, but he was expected to be charged with assault and possibly arson.
A possible motive behind the broad-daylight attack remains under investigation.
A witness told local news outlet KIRO that the man was heard screaming, “I’m gonna kill all you,” as he walked down the alley with a burning torch in his hands.
Images from the scene show the patrol car completely engulfed in flames before firefighters arrived to put it out.
“It was an incredibly dangerous situation for our officer,” Assistant Chief Deanna Nollette told the station.
Police said one of the officers who chased the suspect to the parking garage fired at least one shot during the pursuit, but the man was not struck.
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