EVERETT, Wash. — A Lake Stevens man has died after an encounter with Everett police on a crowded city street Thursday evening.
According to the Snohomish Multiple Agency Response Team (SMART), Lake Stevens police were executing a search warrant for a 39-year-old wanted for unlawful possession of a firearm.
Authorities said the man’s mother alerted police because she was concerned he might hurt himself or others.
The man was in downtown Everett when police executed a search warrant at his Lake Stevens home. After weapons were found at the residents, Everett police confronted the man on Broadway Avenue when he was leaving an appointment from a mental health facility.
"He kinda like pushed two of them off of him and took off running," said witness Jamarcus Mangle.
A fight ensued when police confronted the suspect and an Everett police sergeant deployed his Taser twice in response. An Everett police spokesperson said it is not known if one or both of the Tasers hit the suspect.
As the man started running away from officers down Broadway Ave., he collapsed. Police called for aid and began to administer “life-saving measures” on the man.
"They kind of shoved him against the window and then you heard three pops, like the tasers. Next thing you know he was on the ground and they're doing CPR," said Mangle.
The suspect was transported to Providence Regional Medical Center in critical condition. Snohomish County detectives said Friday that the man died at the hospital overnight.
Two firearms were recovered at the scene, one of them was loaded.
Law enforcement sources along with the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as 39-year-old Colin Wehmeyer. Sources said he went into cardiac arrest during the altercation with police.
Law enforcement sources said Wehmeyer had a history of domestic violence and threatening police. As a convicted felon, he wasn’t allowed to have guns.
Four Everett police officers and one sergeant were involved in the incident. Detectives said the Everett sergeant who deployed his Taser has been in law enforcement for 29 years and was placed on administrative leave.
The investigation into the incident is being conducted by SMART, a team of detectives from various Snohomish County law enforcement agencies who respond to and investigate police use of force incidents.
"What the SMART investigation is going to look at is the use of force incident and how it was deployed. They'll take the results of the investigation and take it to the prosecuting attorney to determine whether the use of force was justified," said spokeswoman Shari Ireton.
The exact cause of death is still being investigated by the Snohomish County Medical Examiner.