SEATTLE — Seattle police arrested two people after spotting a stolen Mercedes in Ballard and later finding its occupants on foot nearby.
According to a department press release, on Tuesday an officer saw a Mercedes with no front license plate near Northwest 65th Street. Police said the rear plate was registered to a different vehicle.
The driver, a 35-year-old man, sped away after police attempted a traffic stop, reaching speeds more than 20 mph over the limit in a residential neighborhood. The officer ended the pursuit and lost sight of the vehicle.
A short time later, officers found the man and a 24-year-old woman walking near Northwest Market Street and took them into custody.
Police said the woman was carrying a handgun with no serial number. She was initially arrested but later released after reporting that the man had assaulted her. She was taken to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation.
The man was taken to a hospital after telling officers he had used narcotics. Police said he is expected to be booked into jail on suspicion of eluding police and unlawful possession of a firearm. He also had outstanding warrants and could face additional charges, investigators said.
Officers later found the stolen Mercedes abandoned in the 5500 block of Seventh Avenue Northwest, in Seattle’s West Woodland neighborhood. Investigators said they recovered narcotics, credit cards belonging to multiple people, a police-style Taser, and other property from inside the vehicle.
The case remains under investigation.