What about the drugs?

Car rolls closely passed cyclist?

Attempted murder!

Mom and kid thieves in a stolen car, guns it while cop (thank you officer) stands in front, legally ordering them to stop, while criminals deliberately attempt to run him down?

“car ...rolls forward” according to Mr. Hsieh

Be careful son, your biases are hanging out like Harvey Weinstien’s dick during a cast call.

You can bet they won't be stealing cars anymore.

"motor theft"? yeah, i know what you meant but the thought of them hucking a motor out of a car on lynn st. and hucking it to the back of a stolen subaru...

I'm glad they lived. perhaps we can learn something from their sordid tale.

Why are we not charging them with attempted murder? They tried to kill the officers, that's why they needed shooting. Or at least reckless endangerment with depraved indifference.

You go soft on crime like this, it's going to happen all over Seattle, cops will have to shoot long guns down your street too.

"The suspects ignored the officers’ commands, and an officer who was standing in front of the vehicle was hit as the driver accelerated, the charges say. That’s when Martin and Sexton fired on the vehicle." Seattle Times (actual journalists).

Or as Mr. Hsieh puts it, the "One of the officers moves in front of the Subaru and places a hand on the car as it rolls forward". You know, the cop manhandled the car.

Funny how how Sloggers babble on about how "cars are weapons" in their war on cars but when thugs use one as an actual weapon, suddenly it's "Driving Ms. Daisy".

I'm no safety expert, but firing multiple shots in a residential corridor at a car which poses no threat seems dangerous.

I don't get why criminals in Seattle even bother trying to flee from the cops. It sure seems like they're not getting much, if any punishment when caught, so why not just take the inconvenience of being arrested and released vs the possible death from the shootout? Then again, if good decision making were their strong suit they wouldn't be in the position to begin with.

Wouldn't running into a cop be some sort of aggravated vehicular assault and a hit and run?

Okay, maybe The Stranger "reporters" and readers should sign up to be cops and show'em how it's done!

#11 I am a retired Dallas cop, and while I can't speak to SPD policy specifically, we were prohibited from shooting at a fleeing vehicle (technically, you're shooting at the driver or armed passenger) unless it posed an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to another or an occupant was using or threatening deadly force. If a vehicle was coming toward us, our first responsibility was to get out of the way, and we were prohibited from intentionally putting ourselves in a position that was of such threat of being struck that deadly force was the likely outcome. NO shooting once the vehicle passed by. That means no standing in front of a car that was starting to flee or likely to flee. NO shooting at a vehicle once it passed by...unless an occupant was shooting at us or someone else. Most cities have similar policies, and I imagine SPD does also.

Based on those rules, these guys are likely in trouble. Although, maybe SPD isn't as restrictive, but the 2nd volley of shots would definitely get them in hot water, if the first don't. My Take is they were amped up when they approached the car (normal), and the shots (not normal) were more due to "contempt of cop" than anything. The officer with his hand on the car clearly stepped out of the way when it started to move. Should be NO shooting from that point on.

#11 This is again Texas law, but I would bet Washington is the same, the charge would be either Agg Alst w/MV or Hit&Run, but not usually both. The lurching and uncertain start of the vehicle moving and the fact that it only sped away once clear of the officer makes an Agg Alst or a H&R case really feeble. Their case filing requirements probably require something stronger for a better chance at successful prosecution.

My biggest thought when I read this was, "Wow, a Mom-Son auto theft duo! That's weird!" I never saw that during my 27 years as a cop. Then I watched the video, and my thought was, "Ruh-Roh, these dudes are in trouble..."

@12: In Seattle, these cops will likely get a promotion.