Seattle Cop Shoots Man in Corvette

In one of the more interesting and disheartening stories of the day was this story out of Everett, Washington, where an officer shot and killed a man they say was drunk and trying to leave the scene. The full story, which you can read here, describes a wild scene in which several people called 911 to report the guy was going to leave the restaurant, the man trying to leave in a white corvette, and the eventual tasing and shooting of the man, resulting in his death.

As a Seattle traffic lawyer, it is disheartening to hear a story like this, and you have to wonder if the officer really needed to shoot the guy to get him to stop. It sounds as if the car was stopped for some time, the officers tried to get him out of the car (this is when they tased him), and he drove off. He hit a fence, supposedly knocking a woman over, and then he was shot dead.

Although this is a sad and trying story, there is a lesson to be learned here - don't try to run away from the police, particularly if you are going to put other people in danger. Nothing good will come of it (you will not get away, and will only get yourself in more trouble), and if the situation is just right (or wrong) you could end up shot dead. Like this story, a night out on the town can turn into an Everett DUI investigation and a shooting death in an instant.