Search For Suspected Thief Ends

A search was suspended Wednesday for a suspected car thief who jumped into a river while trying to escape police.

The man drove a stolen car from Renton, Wash., to Tukwila shortly before 2 a.m. Wednesday but abandoned the vehicle and jumped into the Duwamish River as police were chasing him, said Lt. Steve Kohler, a Tukwila Fire Department spokesman.

The man swam downstream and ended up on the west bank of the river, said Renton police Cmdr. Kevin Milosevich.

When officers found him there, he jumped back into the river and swam to the middle, Milosevich said. Officers attempted to bring him to shore but had to release him when he became combative, Milosevich said.

The man, who was not identified, last was seen floating northward.

Kohler said the man’s chances of survival are slim.