In brief: Vice President Biden to help out Cantwell

SEATTLE – The White House says Vice President Joe Biden will visit Seattle on Thursday for a political event.

Biden is planning to attend a fundraiser for Sen. Maria Cantwell.

Fugitive captured after crash of stolen car

Police arrested an escaped criminal Thursday night after the man stole a car and crashed it while fleeing police.

The events began to unfold Thursday morning, when Devron Parrish, 27, took a car from an acquaintance without permission from the 2500 block of East Fifth Avenue, Spokane police said in a news release.

Hours later police spotted the car as it sped along Mansfield Avenue. The chase ended in a crash after Parrish nearly collided with a patrol car, another car, and a pedestrian.

Parrish attempted to run from the crash scene but police caught him.

He had been sought on a warrant for escape from community custody, police said.

Woman, 82, dies after train hits car

HILLSBORO, Ore. – Police in the Portland suburb of Hillsboro say an 82-year-old woman has died from injuries she suffered when a freight train struck the car in which she was a passenger.

Sgt. Eric Bunday said the woman died at OHSU Hospital in Portland, the Oregonian reported. Her name was not released Friday.

Authorities said the woman and the 85-year-old male driver got stuck in the car between downed railroad crossing arms. The driver reportedly suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries Thursday.

Hillsboro police spokesman Lt. Mike Rouches said the railroad crossing arms and flashing lights were apparently working properly.

Montana officials drop probe into wolf-kill brag

HELENA – Montana wildlife officials have dropped an investigation after finding no merit to a Missoula man’s Internet brag that he ran down a pair of wolves on purpose.

Toby Bridges posted on Facebook last month that he accelerated his wife’s van near the Idaho-Montana border to intentionally hit a group of wolves that ran across Interstate 90.

Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks started an investigation, with officials saying harassing or intentionally killing wildlife with a vehicle is illegal.

Agency officials said Friday the carcass investigators found was too decomposed to have died at the time Bridges said he struck the wolf, and there was no evidence of a collision on the roadway or on Bridges’ vehicle.

They also could find no sign of a second wolf Bridges claimed to have hit and injured.