Seattle RO Arrested During Drive-Off Attempt
SEATTLE — Seattle police arrested a woman after officers said she tried to drive away while her car was hooked to a repossession truck, damaging the towing equipment and leading to a confrontation with the driver.
The incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 26 near East Fir Street and 11th Avenue in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, according to a police report.The repossession driver told police he located the woman’s car and began loading it onto his truck.
After the vehicle was lifted onto the truck’s prongs, he said he saw its brake lights come on and the car move forward and backward.
Police said the movement bent the frame around the truck’s towing mechanism. The driver estimated the damage at about $2,000.
The driver also told officers the woman pulled out pepper spray and pointed it at his face during the confrontation. The driver returned to his truck and called 911.
When officers arrived, the woman was still inside her car while it remained attached to the repossession truck. Police removed her from the vehicle and placed her in handcuffs.
The woman told officers she had spoken with her bank earlier that day and knew the vehicle was still on a repossession list, but believed she had been given more time with the car.
She said she had been sitting inside it for about two hours before the repossession attempt.
She also told police she accelerated to give the other person space but denied trying to drive away or damage the truck. She reported shoulder pain from a jolt when the rear of her car was lifted.
The officer reported seeing no damage to the rear of the woman’s car and wrote that the repossession truck had not collided with it.
Police arrested the woman on suspicion of second-degree malicious mischief. She was taken to the King County Jail and booked.
