Alexander Eugene Smith was running through lanes of traffic on Interstate 5 near Northgate Way on Christmas morning when a Washington State Patrol lieutenant pulled up in her cruiser to get him off the highway.
Instead of cooperating, Smith opened her door, pulled her out of the vehicle, and drove off in her patrol car.
What followed was a high-speed chase from Seattle to Everett and back that ended only when troopers used a PIT maneuver to spin the stolen cruiser to a stop.
Smith, 24, now sits in King County Jail facing charges of robbery, attempting to elude, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault, and driving under the influence. He refused to appear at his first court hearing Friday afternoon.
According to the arrest report, Smith told officers he had smoked methamphetamine earlier that day. That admission matched what troopers found when they searched him after the arrest: two glass pipes with what the report describes as “dark looking tar burned residue.”
The incident began around 11 a.m. Thursday when troopers got reports of a person walking on I-5. Not just on the shoulder, but actually in the lanes of traffic, forcing cars to swerve around him.
When the lieutenant arrived and tried to help Smith, he physically removed her from her own patrol vehicle and took off northbound.
Other troopers immediately gave chase as Smith drove the stolen cruiser up I-5 toward Everett. Then he went off the highway, turned around, and came back southbound at high speed.
Traffic cameras captured the moment troopers executed the PIT maneuver, a controlled technique where a pursuing vehicle strikes the rear quarter panel of a fleeing car to force it into a spin.
After the stolen patrol car came to a stop, Smith was arrested. He refused to identify himself, so officers had to find his driver’s license during a search to confirm who he was.
The search also turned up the two methamphetamine pipes. Later, Smith admitted he’d been smoking meth before the whole incident started.
Because Smith refused to show up for his initial court appearance, a judge scheduled a bond hearing for Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at the King County jail. Whether Smith will appear for that hearing remains to be seen.
The Christmas Day timing adds another layer to the story. While families across the region were opening presents and preparing holiday meals, troopers were chasing a stolen patrol car up and down one of the busiest stretches of highway in Washington.
The 11 a.m. start time and Smith’s admission of methamphetamine use suggests he may have been awake all night on a drug binge. Meth users often stay awake for days during heavy use, losing touch with reality and exhibiting increasingly erratic behavior.
Walking on I-5 itself represents extreme danger. The interstate carries traffic at 60 mph or higher, leaving pedestrians almost no room for error. Smith wasn’t just on the shoulder. He was running through lanes, forcing drivers to make split-second decisions to avoid hitting him.
The lieutenant who approached Smith was trying to get him to safety. State troopers regularly deal with people in mental health crises or under the influence of drugs who end up on highways. The standard response is to stop traffic, approach the person, and get them off the road before someone gets killed.
Smith’s response was to attack her and steal her vehicle.
The chase covered roughly 30 miles of I-5, from Seattle north to Everett and back south. On Christmas Day, when families were traveling to visit relatives, a stolen patrol car was weaving through traffic at high speeds with multiple police cruisers in pursuit.
The PIT maneuver that finally stopped Smith involves calculated risk. Done correctly, it spins the fleeing vehicle without causing major injury. Done wrong, it can lead to rollovers or crashes. Troopers are trained extensively on when and how to use the technique.
Smith’s refusal to appear at his first court hearing is both unusual and pointless. Defendants have the right not to appear, but it doesn’t stop the legal process. The judge simply reschedules for a mandatory hearing where refusal isn’t an option.
The charges Smith faces are serious. Robbery, attempting to elude, vehicle theft, assault, and DUI together could mean years in prison if convicted on all counts.
