K9 finds armed 14-year-old drunk driver in a freezer after leading Kent police on a low speed chase
By: Kent Police arrested a 14-year-old boy after a low-speed DUI pursuit on Friday, during which the suspect got out and hid in a freezer box for 20 minutes.
An officer was working a DUI emphasis patrol along W Meeker St, when he noticed a car driving past a stop sign. The driver was drifting out of the lane, so the officer turned on his lights to attempt a traffic stop.
Authorities say the suspect then slowly drove through a red light, continued to ignore the police lights, hit a sidewalk, ran another light and even lost a tire.
Eventually, the car hit another curb on W James St and could no longer move. The driver, a 14-year-old boy from Kent, got out of the car and ran to a nearby apartment complex.
Other officers were called to the scene by this point, and one of them saw what appeared to be a handgun in the boy’s possession. Police chased after him, and the Guardian 1 helicopter was called in to assist.
Guardian 1 reported the suspect was hopping fences, and then he hid in a freezer box in someone’s backyard.
Officers took cover around the freezer and tried to negotiate with the boy for more than 20 minutes. When Federal Way Police arrived on-scene with a K9 unit, the freezer lid slowly opened, and police went to make an arrest.
After some time, officers were able to take the 14-year-old into custody. No gun was recovered.
King County Juvenile Detention declined the suspect for booking, so he was released to his parents after having his blood drawn for testing.
The boy faces possible charges of DUI, eluding police, resisting arrest and obstruction.