A Maple Valley man is facing multiple charges after fleeing an injury crash on an electric bike in Kent on Monday evening, only to be tracked down by officers who found a loaded stolen handgun in his waistband, drugs in his pockets, and several forms of identification and credit cards belonging to other people.
Kent Police responded just before 7:30 p.m. to a report of a collision in the 9900 block of South 248th Street after a 911 caller said an electric bike had struck her car. The caller reported that the rider was on the ground, believed his leg was broken, and was asking for an ambulance. When an officer arrived and made contact with the driver, a 42-year-old Kent woman, she said the e-bike rider had asked her to cancel the 911 call because he believed he had active warrants. He then got up and fled eastbound on South 248th Street on the damaged e-bike.
The woman’s car had visible recent damage to the front end. She told officers the e-bike had been travelling rapidly westbound on the south sidewalk, nearly struck a pedestrian, and then collided with the front of her vehicle as she was stopped to make a turn.
After the responding officer broadcast a description of the suspect, a second officer diverted from the crash scene to search the area eastbound on South 248th Street. That officer spotted the suspect cycling on the south sidewalk near the YMCA. The suspect initially refused commands to get off the bike but complied after several directives and was taken into custody without further incident. The 42-year-old Kent woman positively identified him as the rider involved in the crash.
The suspect, a 39-year-old Maple Valley man whose name was not released, was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his crash injuries. He will be booked into the King County Jail upon medical release. During a search, officers found a loaded stolen Gen 5 Glock 19 9mm handgun in his waistband, drugs in his pockets, and multiple identification documents and credit cards not belonging to him.
The e-bike’s serial number initially returned as not stolen, but investigators later discovered the owner had reported it stolen the previous week without having the serial number on hand at the time of the report.
Charges are expected to include hit-and-run of an attended vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, and possession of a controlled substance. The case has been referred to Kent Police detectives for investigation into potential additional charges.
