NORTH BEND, Wash. — The King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) is searching for two men accused of breaking into several cars at Olallie State Park, firing a gun, crashing their vehicle and then carjacking a woman in North Bend.
The incident started Sunday when several car windows were smashed at the Dirty Harry’s Balcony trailhead at Olallie State Park, located on Interstate 90 between North Bend and Snoqualmie Pass, according to the KCSO.
KCSO Sergeant Corbett Ford said one of the victims confronted the car prowlers, but the suspects drove away from the trailhead parking lot in a dark Dodge Charger. At one point, Ford said the suspects fired a gun along I-90. A few moments later, the suspects crashed the Charger near Exit 38. Two women were arrested at the scene of the crash.
Two male suspects then carjacked a woman driving a Subaru Forester, according to the KCSO.
A sheriff's deputy followed the suspects but lost track of the vehicle. The Forester was later found abandoned in a McDonald’s parking lot in North Bend.
“It appears that there were two suspects that left from [the McDonald’s park lot] and got into a vehicle,” Ford said. “Somebody picked them up, and they were driven away.”
What happened was a series of events that started with a crime that’s become common: car prowling at trailheads.
“This has been one of my fears of just going to a trailhead," said Bekah Schuring as she cleaned broken glass from her vehicle. "Coming back to something like this is not fun.”
Her car was one of many targeted by the prowlers.
Prowlers are looking for valuables like credit cards and cash, as well as personal items like garage door openers and addresses on a car’s registration.
Schuring does not believe anything was taken. She knows not to leave valuables in her car and said what happened won’t keep her away from the trails.
“I just hope they can find a way to stop it from happening because, like the officer was saying, it’s getting out of control,” Schuring said.
The KCSO is investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police.