HILLMAN CITY - A Seattle Police Officer lost control of his patrol car between Hillman and Columbia City while responding to a back-up call placed by officers engaging in a high-risk stop. The accident occurred in the 5400 block of Rainier Avenue South near South Brandon Street on Feb. 23 just after 2 a.m., according to Seattle Police Department spokesman Sean Whitcomb.
"Initially we believed that his injuries were life threatening," Whitcomb noted. "We're thrilled to hear he's been upgraded to serious."
The officer, a 41-year-old man, has been serving with the Seattle Police Department for the past seven-and-a-half years and is currently based out of the South Precinct. His patrol car was "severely damaged," said Whitcomb, when he smashed into a light pole, bounced off and crashed into a second light pole. A day after the accident, a South Precinct officer familiar with the incident said his comrade suffered a broken femur, wrist, punctured lung and compound fractures. Whitcomb did not verify the officer's injuries but did say the officer is being treated at Harborview Medical Center.
Just before the officer was injured, Whitcomb said the Seattle Police Department S.W.A.T. team that had called for backup was engaged in a proactive patrol of South Seattle in an unmarked vehicle, a tactic he classified as not uncommon. It was during this patrol that the team spotted the robbery suspect believed to be involved with a violent, armed home invasion involving three young men.
Whitcomb said the suspect, 19-year-old Demarco Varteece Rainwater of Federal Way, was taken into custody peacefully while driving alone in his own vehicle.
ROAD TO ARREST
The disturbing details of the armed, home-invasion robbery Rainwater allegedly took place in during the morning of Feb. 19 in the 3700 block of South Perry Street may be found in the South Precinct police log on page 7.
According to court documents filed by the office of King County Prosecutor Norm Maleng, Rainwater's arrest began when a citizen spotted a suspicious vehicle in the middle of the road near the intersection of South Perry Street and South Sunny View Drive on Feb. 19, the morning of the home invasion. An officer was dispatched to investigate the maroon 1993 Buick sedan.
Within 15 minutes of when the 9 a.m. home invasion, the officer was investigating the suspicious vehicle. He spotted the Buick and noted the license plate bore the same number as reported by the caller.
The officer watched the driver fail to yield a stop sign at Beacon Avenue South and 39th Avenue South, which prompted the patrolman to initiate a stop at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South Henderson Street. The driver was Rainwater, who appeared nervous and was visibly sweating. He was released after the officer found his car was properly registered and his license had no restrictions.
By 10:21 officers were responding to the home invasion on South Perry Street, and the officer who pulled Rainwater over described the incident to a detective on the scene. The detective requested Rainwater's department of licensing photo, placed it in a photomontage, and showed the photos to the home-invasion victim.
The victim pointed to Rainwater's photo and said he was the one who appeared at his basement window, trying to enter his home while pointing a gun at him.
The S.W.A.T. team patrolling the South End spotted Rainwater's Buick four days later and initiated the high-risk stop and arrest.
CASE CRACKED
"We believe he was responsible for the [armed home invasion] on the 19th," Whitcomb asserted, who added that Rainwater was booked into the King County Jail at 9 a.m. on Feb. 23. The court documents list the probable cause for Rainwater's arrest as robbery, burglary and auto theft. His bail was set at $200,000. As of press time, he was scheduled to appear in court to face charges on Feb. 27.
When asked if detectives had information on the other two suspects, Whitcomb said the investigation was ongoing.
"We're pretty confident we're going to catch them," Whitcomb said in an upbeat tone before adding, "We're not soliciting the public's help at this time."
While the armed robbery investigation may be clicking along as well as the police can hope, the mysterious nature of the single officer patrol car crash brings to mind another single-occupant patrol car crash that occurred on Feb. 3 in Georgetown.
In that incident, a police officer lost control of his vehicle, collided with bike commuter Scott Harris of Bainbridge Island, and plowed his patrol car into a sub sandwich shop in the 5300 block of First Avenue South. The collision sent both the officer and Harris to the hospital. Harris suffered a non-paralyzing broken neck, and Whitcomb said the officer has not yet reported back to duty after the incident.
Whitcomb said the outreach they have done to the community concerning the patrol car and bike incident has resulted in at least one tip. However, like the most recent South End patrol car crash, Whitcomb said that traffic incident detectives could take months to finalize their findings.
Erik Hansen may be reached via editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
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