Man on meth causes 5-car pileup in Everett, police say

EVERETT — Police believe a man on meth and driving a stolen SUV caused a five-car crash Tuesday that sent three people to the hospital.

The collision occurred shortly after noon at Olivia Park Road and Evergreen Way.

The driver of a stolen Ford Explorer allegedly blew through a red light, causing the crash. He ran from the scene. The Ford Explorer had been stolen in Spokane over the weekend.

While police were investigating, a man reported that his rental car had been stolen from a Best Western hotel nearby.

The man told police he heard the collision and went to check on the condition of the people involved. In his haste, he left his rented Ford Focus running and it was stolen.

Police found the Focus on a dead-end street near a dog park north of 100th Street SW off 18th Avenue W.

A police dog was used to track the suspect who was arrested just east of Airport Road along Kasch Park Road. He allegedly was carrying a backpack stolen from the Focus.

The accident sent three people to the hospital. One suffered a serious neck injury. The other two had minor injuries, according to a police report.

The suspect, 26, is from Alaska. He was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of vehicular assault, theft of a motor vehicle, possessing a stolen vehicle and three counts of hit and run.

Police found a meth pipe with burned residue in the stolen Explorer.

When he was arrested, the suspect was described in a police report as being “in an extremely agitated state, screaming, sweating, unable to hold still, jittery in his movements and slurring his speech.”

Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446, stevick@heraldnet.com

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