Police arrested a man following a car chase near Bainbridge High School on Wednesday afternoon for several alleged crimes including sexually assaulting two students.
Officers responded to reports of a suspicious man inside a bathroom in one of the school buildings.
A manhunt ensued, followed by a low-speed car chase and PIT maneuver by police. Authorities took the suspect into custody after a brief struggle.
Bainbridge Island Police Chief Matthew Hamner said the incident started shortly after 2 p.m. when officers responded to a report of a strange man in a bathroom in one of the buildings. Hamner says the suspect then left the bathroom and went into another building on campus where he sexually assaulted a student.
"He assaulted her while we were still looking for him and he knew we were looking for him because he struck the officer while he left," said Hamner. "I will do everything in my power to make sure someone like that is taken into custody. I won't allow him to roam the streets and victimize our young people on this island."
The suspect then fled that building where he was confronted by an officer at the suspect's car. Hamner said the suspect told the officer to shoot him, assaulted him then fled the scene. For the next hour and a half, officers searched for the suspect. During that time, he allegedly sexually assaulted another student off campus.
Officers spotted the car and a slow-speed chase ensued. The man was detained at 3:48 p.m. near the intersection of Erickson Avenue and Wyatt.
Hamner said the suspect, 32, will be charged with voyeurism, sexual assault and assaulting police officers. All three victims were girls and all three were students at Bainbridge High.
Rebecca King's daughter was in school at the time of the lockdown.
"She texted me immediately and told me they were on lockdown and she was terrified. It's disconcerting to think this is the reality today, but apparently it is."
All Bainbridge School District schools, along with the Bainbridge Aquatic Center and nearby daycare facilities and private schools, were placed on lockdown. North Kitsap High School, Poulsbo Middle School and Poulsbo Elementary also were placed on lockdown.
North Kitsap district spokeswoman Jenn Markaryan said law enforcement officials told the district that the individual contacted by police on Bainbridge Island was a Poulsbo resident, prompting the lockdown.
The district sent a letter to parents after the incident on Wednesday. In the letter, Superintendent Dr. Peter Bang-Knudsen says, "staff will review the new safety measures and remind students of the importance of speaking up if something or someone seems suspicious."
