Four teenagers appeared before a juvenile court judge Monday following allegations they shot at Seattle police officers and endangered motorists during a weekend high-speed pursuit on Interstate 5.
Seattle police arrested a 16-year-old boy and three girls between 15 and 17 years old after the Saturday night incident. Authorities continue searching for at least two additional youths who fled from the stolen SUV after officers stopped it using a Precision Immobilization Technique maneuver.
Court records indicate two of the arrested teenagers have prior court involvement for offenses including robbery and assault while in custody. All four now face potential charges after police discovered them in a stolen vehicle with multiple firearms.
The incident left innocent motorist Oksana Matsegora shaken after bullets narrowly missed her vehicle as she drove on the freeway. “It feels surreal,” Matsegora said. “It feels like it didn’t happen, and I’m just starting to realize that I was in a big danger.”
Matsegora described ducking down as gunfire erupted around her when the teenagers allegedly shot at pursuing police officers. Investigators found bullet fragments inside her car, and a round penetrated her front windshield, coming dangerously close to striking her.
“I didn’t know why they tried to shoot, so I was thinking, are they trying to shoot until they kill me? Because they will keep firing shots,” she recalled.
The sequence began when Seattle police officers on patrol in north Seattle observed the SUV driving erratically and accelerating away from them. Officers later located the stolen vehicle in south Seattle and followed it onto Interstate 5, where the shooting commenced.
“Basically, the panic kicked in when I left the car, and I started running towards the cars, and the police officer came out, and he just introduced himself, showed his badge, and he was like, ‘We’re so sorry. They were shooting us. They were not shooting you,'” Matsegora said, describing the immediate aftermath.
Police emphasized that officers did not return fire at the teenagers despite being shot at. Instead, they successfully stopped the fleeing SUV using a PIT maneuver on Interstate 5 in Tukwila, where they arrested four occupants while two others escaped on foot.
Officers conducting a search incident to arrest discovered a firearm on the 16-year-old boy. A second weapon was found abandoned near the stolen SUV, indicating the vehicle contained multiple guns during the chase.
During Monday afternoon’s juvenile court hearing, defense attorneys for some teenagers argued their clients were unaware the SUV was stolen and could not exit the vehicle during the chase and shooting. The defense strategy appeared aimed at portraying some defendants as unwilling participants in the incident.
Family members attended the hearing to advocate for their children’s release from custody. One parent addressed the judge directly, attempting to characterize the incident as an isolated mistake rather than part of a pattern of criminal behavior.
“I just feel like she made a bad decision, she just caught up as a child, and I feel like she definitely learned from this situation today,” the parent told the judge. “I do understand this is very serious. I’m shocked. It’s a lot of stress on me.”
The parent continued, “I feel like her coming home, this will never happen, I promise you that. She’s never been in any kind of trouble; she doesn’t have a record or anything.”
The judge’s rulings reflected the varying circumstances of each defendant. Two teenagers with prior criminal records were ordered to remain in secured juvenile detention, while two others were released with electronic home monitoring requirements.
Casey McNerthney with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office provided context about one of the detained juveniles. “We know one of those two held in secure detention, there was a warrant King County prosecutors made a motion for in a custodial assault case,” McNerthney said. “That was active at the time of the most recent arrest from our understanding.”
The active warrant suggests at least one teenager was already facing serious charges when the Interstate 5 incident occurred, supporting the judge’s decision to maintain custody given the flight risk and public safety concerns.
Seattle police revealed an additional complication to investigators. A person with a gunshot wound arrived at a hospital in Renton following the incident, though authorities have not disclosed whether or how that individual connects to the Interstate 5 shooting investigation.
The two suspects who successfully fled from the scene remain at large. Police continue investigating their identities and whereabouts, likely using evidence from the vehicle, witness statements, and information provided by the arrested teenagers.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about juvenile involvement in serious violent crimes including auto theft, weapons possession, and assaults on law enforcement. The presence of multiple firearms in a stolen vehicle occupied by teenagers raises questions about how young people are obtaining weapons and vehicles.
