Man strangles cop, steals police cruiser during wild chase in Washington state

Police in Washington state arrested a man early Saturday after authorities said the burglary suspect strangled an officer and stole a police cruiser during a dramatic chase through Bellevue.

Bellevue Police said the suspect, who wasn’t identified, was taken into custody after law enforcement deployed spike strips and used another vehicle to ram the stolen squad car.

The officer who police said was assaulted by the suspect was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Authorities said they first received a report of someone trying to steal the safe at a Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM dealership in Bellevue around 4:15 a.m. Saturday.

An officer arrived to confront the suspect, but the suspect then strangled the officer and fled in a stolen vehicle.       

Police said the suspect got into a head-on crash with another vehicle while trying to evade officers. 

Authorities surrounded the suspect and tried to arrest him, but the man eluded them and got behind the wheel of a police cruiser.

The suspect was arrested when his car was immobilized by a combination of spike strips and a PIT maneuver used by a Tukwila police officer.