Wanted man flees Sea-Tac in stolen van

SEATAC, Wash. – A man wanted in Snohomish County ran from police as he was preparing to board a flight at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, raced through restricted areas, and then fled in a stolen van, an airport spokesman said.

Police found the van in Tukwila, but the man had vanished.

Airport spokesman Perry Cooper said Port of Seattle police had received a tip that a man sought on an assault warrant planned to board a Southwest Airlines flight on Tuesday. Police tried to snag the man, but he bolted through an emergency exit, ran down a ramp outside near the aircraft, through the baggage claim area and then back outside. He hopped into a van being loaded by employees of a cable TV show and fled.