SEATTLE — A man is in custody after he reportedly carjacked a ride-share driver in downtown Seattle Tuesday.
Seattle police were responding to reports of a stabbing near 3rd and Pike Street around 2:30 p.m. when they saw the ride-share driver being carjacked.
Officers were searching for the stabbing victim and the suspect when they reportedly saw two men running toward a parked black Lexus.
One of them dove into the driver’s seat, while the other jumped into the passenger seat through an open window.
At that point, police believed the two men could possibly be the stabbing victim and suspect.
Officers signaled for the driver of the Lexus to pull over, but he refused to stop.
The driver was reportedly driving erratically, speeding and running red lights, and sideswiped another car.
Officers say they could see the driver and passenger fighting as they drove.
The driver eventually crashed into the Starbucks Reserve Roastery located in the 1100 block of Pike Street.
Once officers removed both men from the vehicle, they learned that the passenger was the owner of the car and working as a ride-share driver.
He told police that he was loading a passenger’s luggage into his vehicle when the suspect jumped into the driver’s seat. The car owner then jumped through the passenger window of his car in an attempt to stop the suspect from stealing it.
The 35-year-old suspect was arrested at the scene.
He was transported to the hospital for possible minor injuries and will be booked into the King County Jail for robbery once he is released.
While police were responding to the carjacking, other officers located the victim of the earlier stabbing. Seattle Fire Department medics treated the man at the scene for non-life-threatening injuries.
At this time, they say there appears to be no connection between the stabbing and the carjacking.
Police have recovered video evidence and are continuing to investigate this incident.
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