Car crashes into Seattle home, but it's what emerges from the trunk that really shocks witnesses
RAVENNA, SEATTLE: Witnesses were left in shock when a man who had been bound and beaten crawled out of the trunk of a vehicle that slammed into a Seattle residence and caught fire, according to police. According to Seattle police, the 63-year-old alleged kidnapping victim claimed he was cut, roughed up, and then tossed into the trunk of his car. But he managed to escape when his assailants crashed into the house.
"He was beat up pretty bad. They had cut his face with a knife and had beat him up pretty badly," witness Raegan McKibbon told King 5. The collision took place around 5 am on Thursday in the Ravenna neighborhood in Seattle. "A screeching noise and then the most sickening crunch," neighbor Cheng Yu recalled what he heard when the car collided.
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A narrow escape
According to Brooks Mierow, he and his family were indoors when the car crashed into their house. When he saw smoke coming from the vehicle, he hurried the children and the family dog outside. After the collision, the kidnapping victim was seen getting out of the trunk of the vehicle, and Raegan McKibbon helped the man across the street.
Neighbors recall terror
The neighbors described the scene as frightful until police and firefighters arrived. Homeowner Mierow claimed that while neighbor Cheng Yu dialed 911, he worked swiftly to get his family to safety. "I got my kids to get their shoes and coats on and get out of the house, I got the dog, and then fired another fire extinguisher into it," Mierow stated. He claimed that the extinguisher helped in slowing the spread of the fire until the Seattle Fire Department could get there.
'I've just been kidnapped'
The neighbors claimed to have heard the man's screams while they waited. "There was a gentleman who was sitting outside, kind of by the trunk of his car, and he was all tied up with rope and he was screaming 'help me, help me, I've just been kidnapped, call 911,"' stated McKibbon. The neighbor also revealed she saw two individuals running away from the car as she assisted the man across the street, claimed Daily Mail.
What actually happened?
The Seattle Fire Department put out the flames after arriving at the site. The 63-year-old victim was treated for injuries that were not life-threatening at a nearby hospital, cops said. Police also stated that they were unable to find the driver or the other occupants right away. The victim told officers that "several suspects" attacked him before he was bound and thrown into the trunk. According to police, the abduction didn't seem targeted, King 5 reported.
Police questioned an 18-year-old male who fit the victim's description of the suspect and later let him go. According to Seattle officers, no additional suspects have been apprehended. Detectives are looking into the case, and police are asking anyone with knowledge to contact the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.