Man caught on body cam throwing Washington trooper to ground and stealing patrol car
Newly released police footage unveils the alarming events that unfolded when a man on foot along I-5 in Seattle forcibly pushed a Washington State Patrol trooper to the ground and commandeered her patrol car on Christmas Day. The individual involved, identified as 24-year-old Alexander Eugene Smith in official documents, confessed to authorities that he had consumed meth prior to the incident. KOMO News gained access to three camera recordings, comprising two body-worn cameras and one dash-mounted camera, following a request for public records.
The recordings depict troopers engaging in a conversation with Smith in the middle lanes of I-5 near 85th Street. Smith communicated his intention to walk to his residence in Stanwood, to which the trooper clarified that it was not permissible to walk on the freeway. Following a brief exchange, the troopers persuaded Smith to transition to the right shoulder and exit the freeway toward the Northgate light rail station. Troopers trailed behind Smith as he proceeded northward before halting at the off-ramp to Northgate. He settled on the guardrail for a brief period as troopers offered him a blanket while reiterating the importance of vacating the freeway. Suddenly, while on foot, Smith dashed across the off-ramp and again dashed into traffic, traversing all lanes of I-5.
Responding troopers swiftly moved to block traffic as Smith navigated between vehicles. A Washington State Patrol lieutenant approached Smith and instructed him to halt. In a shocking turn of events captured by the camera, Smith forcefully extracted the lieutenant from the patrol car, assumed the driver’s position, and sped away in the stolen vehicle. The lieutenant intercepted a passing car, urging the driver to contact 911. Additional troopers initiated pursuit of the stolen patrol car northbound toward Lynnwood, where it executed a U-turn and proceeded southbound on I-5. Subsequently, a trooper executed a PIT maneuver to forcibly spin out the stolen patrol car before crashing into the driver’s side. Smith was forcibly extracted from the vehicle and taken into custody.
Following the ordeal, King County prosecutors leveled charges against Smith for robbery in the second degree and for attempting to elude a police vehicle. Smith has been mandated to undergo a competency evaluation and is scheduled to appear in court later in the month.