Video shows man stealing patrol cruiser after pushing officer to ground on Christmas Day

LYNNWOOD, WASHINGTON: A viral video shows a man stealing a patrol cruiser after pulling a trooper to the ground on Christmas Day.

The suspect, identified as Alexander Eugene Smith, 24, is now in custody and faces charges including robbery and assaulting a law enforcement officer. Read on for more details about where the incident happened, why it occurred, and whether any members of the public were hurt.

Authorities say the lieutenant suffered minor injuries

Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson said the lieutenant was responding to a report of a pedestrian running across I-5 near 85th Street in Seattle.

TMZ obtained video showing a man pacing between lanes of oncoming traffic as a patrol car stopped at the scene. The lieutenant was then pulled out of the driver’s seat, pushed to the ground, and the suspect drove off in her patrol car.

Dozens of officers chased the stolen patrol car north before the pursuit ended in a crash on the southbound lanes of I-5 at 220th Street Southwest in Lynnwood.

Authorities said the lieutenant suffered minor injuries, no members of the public were seriously hurt, and several vehicles were damaged while trying to stop the stolen cruiser.

The suspect, Smith, was arrested and booked into King County Jail. Troopers noted he appeared confused and pale, had dilated pupils, carried two glass pipes, and admitted to smoking meth earlier, according to court documents.

Troopers had first contacted the man when they saw him walking on the left shoulder of I-5. He agreed to walk to the North Northgate Way exit and was being escorted by officers before the alleged carjacking.

The suspect now faces charges including robbery, assault, possession of a stolen vehicle, attempting to elude police, and DUI. His first court appearance was on Friday, December 26, and prosecutors plan to file additional charges in the coming days.

Washington State Patrol lost its 34th trooper in the line of duty

Washington State Patrol (WSP) recently mourned the loss of their 34th trooper in the line of duty. WSP confirmed that Trooper Tara Marysa Guting (#720) was killed on December 19 after being struck by a vehicle in Tacoma.

According to a press release, “Trooper Guting was standing outside of her patrol car investigating a two-vehicle collision when she was struck just before 7:30 p.m. on southbound State Route 509 near milepost 2, south of the Port of Tacoma. Individuals on scene rendered aid, but the trooper ultimately succumbed to her injuries. The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) is taking over the investigation of the incident.”

The release highlighted Trooper Guting’s career, noting that she began as a trooper cadet in January 2024. She graduated with the 119th Trooper Basic Training Class and was commissioned on October 30 of the same year. She served in WSP District 1 in Tacoma during her time with the agency.

WSP described the 29-year-old trooper as deeply valued by her colleagues. The statement added, “Tara’s loss is deeply felt within the WSP family, and especially by her husband, Timothy, who himself serves as a Deputy State Fire Marshal at the WSP Fire Training Academy in North Bend.” Tara and Timothy were married on August 21, 2019, at the Fire Training Academy.

WSP Chief John R Batiste shared his condolences, saying, “My heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team. We will never forget Badge #720 – Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting. The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks… And with this loss, now tears flood our souls.”