Robbers Cause Accident In Chase During Rush Hour

Sheriff’s deputies pursued a stolen car from Lake Stevens to Everett in a chase that backed up rush-hour traffic and ended when the car hurdled a guardrail and hit a pickup.

One man was arrested. Two others involved escaped.

The pickup driver, 52-year-old James Frees of Moses Lake, was in serious condition Monday night.

The incident started when three men in a Mazda tricked a Lake Stevens woman into letting them enter her home, said spokesman Elliott Woodall of the Snohomish County sheriff’s office.

The three tied her up at gunpoint and took computer equipment. When the equipment did not fit in their car, they took her Lincoln and left the scene with two men in the Mazda and one in the Lincoln.

A deputy pursued the Lincoln toward Everett and onto Interstate 5, where it hit three other cars before exiting onto state Highway 526.

Woodall said the car drove up a steep embankment, went airborne over a guardrail and hit the pickup driven by Frees.