SEATTLE — A man in crisis crashed a car into a building in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood on Wednesday morning, leading to a large fire, according to the Seattle police department.
At about 6:40 a.m., several 911 callers reported that a car collided with a building near the 700 block of South Michigan Street, causing a fire to the car and building.
Crews are responding to reports of a car collision into a building and causing a fire near the 700 block of S MICHIGAN ST. Please avoid the area.
— Seattle Fire Dept. (@SeattleFire) June 29, 2022
Mark Cayetano, a witness at the scene said he was sitting in his car when he saw a silver Subaru driving aggressively fast. He said the Subaru driver cut some cars off and drove off.
Cayetano said that about 10 minutes later the Subaru slammed into the building, which is located next to a seafood market.
The driver, a 49-year-old man, then exited the vehicle and began running in and out of traffic, according to police.
Callers to 911 also reported seeing the man cutting himself with a knife.
Upon arriving at the scene, police attempted to contact the man but he refused to stop and continued running.
After briefly chasing him, police took the man into custody in the 500 block of South Michigan Street.
He was then transported to Harborview Medical Center in stable condition.
Major incident in Georgetown as a vehicle plows into a building followed by a fire @SeattleFire responding -Story noon @KIRO7Seattle pic.twitter.com/h2gplZNMAe
— Ranji Sinha (@RanjiKIRO7) June 29, 2022
Meanwhile, the Subaru’s engine bay had ignited, setting the building on fire.
After confirming that no one was inside the vehicle, fire crews began working to pour water on the fire.
Firefighters also conducted a search of the building and found no one inside.
The fire did not spread to any other buildings and was extinguished by 7:11 a.m., according to the Seattle Fire Department.
Investigators with the fire department attributed the cause of the fire to “a person in crisis” and estimated the loss at $185,000.
Seattle police blocked off Michigan Street to traffic as crews worked the scene.
Michigan Street reopened just before 9 a.m., according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
CLEARED: All travel lanes open on S Michigan St between 4th Ave S to Corson Ave S.
— SDOT Traffic (@SDOTtraffic) June 29, 2022
Officials requested that the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections complete an evaluation of the building to determine whether it was safe to reoccupy.
Police say the suspect may have been under the influence of narcotics at the time of the incident, and they investigated him for DUI.
He was also arrested on charges of property damage, obstruction and hit and run.
After he is discharged from the hospital, he will be booked into the King County Jail.
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