Van crashes into crowded store near Seattle, injuring 11
BURIEN, Wash. (AP) - A van apparently being used as a getaway vehicle crashed into a crowded store near Seattle, injuring 11 people, including a 2-year-old child who was in critical condition, police said.
The driver of the van tried to take off at a high speed after a woman, who had apparently shoplifted inside the Ross Dress for Less store in the suburb of Burien, got into it Monday night, said Sgt. Ryan Abbott of the King County Sheriff's Office.
'Å“The male driver was the getaway driver for the female that was shoplifting inside the Ross,"'Abbott said.
The van first hit an unoccupied car in front of the store and then crashed through the store's windows.
"A lot of people started fleeing as soon as the van came in,'' Abbott said. 'People were scattering of course and trying to get away.
The vehicle hit a stroller with a 2-year-old boy in it and several other people. The boy and two men were critically injured and taken to Harborview Medical Center, according to the sheriff's office. Eight others were injured and taken to hospitals.
The van's driver was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of drugs, Abbott said. The female passenger was arrested on a previous warrant.
The van could be seen sitting in the front of the store, with glass and other debris from the storefront all around it.