The Dec. 25 chase began near Northgate and ended after troopers rammed the stolen SUV to a stop.
SEATTLE, WA — Newly released police videos show a man running into Interstate 5 traffic on Christmas Day, pulling a Washington State Patrol lieutenant from her marked SUV and speeding off, setting off a pursuit that stretched between Seattle and Lynnwood before troopers forced the stolen cruiser to a stop.
The footage, obtained this week through a public-records request, details a chaotic series of moments that started as a welfare check and quickly turned into a felony case. Prosecutors have identified the suspect as 24-year-old Alexander Eugene Smith. He faces robbery in the second degree and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. The lieutenant suffered minor injuries. A judge has ordered a competency evaluation, and a court hearing is expected later this month as investigators finish reports and evidence logs tied to the pursuit and arrest.
According to the videos, troopers contacted a man walking in the center lanes of I-5 near Northeast 85th Street shortly before noon on Dec. 25. The man told troopers he wanted to keep walking, and they directed him toward the right shoulder and the Northgate light-rail station. For several minutes he sat on a guardrail while traffic slowed and troopers tried to clear the roadway. The recording captures a trooper offering a blanket and repeating, “You can’t be out here,” as cars crept past. Moments later, the man sprinted across the off-ramp and back into live lanes as troopers scrambled to block vehicles. As a WSP lieutenant pulled up, the man yanked open her door, dragged her onto the pavement and jumped behind the wheel. “Stop,” a trooper is heard shouting on the video as the SUV sped south.
Dispatch audio and dash-camera clips show troopers giving chase as the stolen SUV headed north toward Lynnwood, then flipped direction and returned south on I-5. Patrol cars attempted a precision immobilization technique, or PIT, to spin the vehicle. One clip shows a trooper striking the driver’s door after the spinout to keep the suspect from accelerating again. Smith was pulled from the SUV and handcuffed on the shoulder. No shots were fired. Officials have not released the total number of patrol vehicles damaged. The lieutenant who was dragged from the SUV was treated for minor injuries and later released, according to patrol officials.
Records filed with the court list Smith’s age as 24 and note his statement to investigators that he had used methamphetamine earlier on Dec. 25. The case began as a call about a person in the roadway and escalated when he reentered traffic and grabbed the patrol vehicle. The initial contact point near the Northgate interchange, a busy stretch of I-5, required troopers to slow several lanes while they tried to guide the man off the freeway. Investigators marked the route of the pursuit and collected dash-camera and body-camera files from two troopers and one patrol vehicle. Officials have not announced any injuries to bystanders or motorists during the chase. The videos blur faces of uninvolved drivers and pedestrians.
The Christmas Day incident came during a heavy holiday travel period on I-5 through north Seattle, where troopers frequently respond to pedestrians on the freeway near transit access points. Washington State Patrol policy allows controlled PIT maneuvers when the risk to the public from a fleeing driver outweighs the risk of intervention. In this case, troopers attempted a PIT, then used a ramming strike on the driver’s door when the SUV continued to move after the spinout. The tactics, captured on dash video, ended the pursuit within minutes, preventing the stolen cruiser from reentering higher-speed traffic.
King County prosecutors have filed robbery in the second degree and attempting to elude charges. Additional counts could be considered as damage estimates and toxicology reports are finalized, according to officials familiar with the case. A judge ordered a competency evaluation to determine whether Smith understands the proceedings and can assist in his defense. The next court date is expected later in January. The patrol is conducting a standard internal review of the use of force and vehicle intervention used to stop the stolen SUV, while detectives prepare a full case referral with reports, video stills and scene diagrams.
Traffic around the Northgate ramps briefly stopped as troopers formed a rolling slowdown. Drivers can be seen in the videos braking hard and moving to the shoulder while sirens echo under the overpasses. “We’re trying to keep everyone safe,” a trooper says at one point on the recording as colleagues wave cars back. After the arrest, a trooper retrieved the lieutenant’s gear, including a radio and body-camera unit that had fallen in the roadway during the struggle. Tow trucks removed the damaged patrol SUV from the scene as investigators collected debris and marked skid patterns with paint.
As of Sunday, the patrol said the criminal investigation remains open while prosecutors move the case through early hearings. The next scheduled milestone is a competency-review date later this month, followed by an arraignment setting if the court finds Smith competent.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.