Odd Side Effect Of Puget Sound Snow: Catching Criminals

SEATTLE, WA - The snow that hit Puget Sound in February caused a lot of headaches for local residents, shutting down streets, clogging sidewalks, and causing countless fender-benders.

But for local police, the snow was kind of great. In a few different way, the snow helped police catch criminals who might have otherwise gotten away.

1) On Feb. 12, a 28-year-old burglary suspect literally left a trail for Pierce County Sheriff's deputies to follow. His footprints in the snow led investigators from the scene of the crime to the suspect's poorly-chosen hiding place 2 miles away.

2) Police were able to use that old footprint trick again on Feb. 20. King County deputies looking for a prolific burglar in the Sammamish area spotted his footprints in the snow. You know what happened next.

3) Did we mention it's hard to drive in the snow? That includes car thieves. Seattle and Renton police tracked a BMW full of thieves to Renton, where they were found stuck in a snowbank.

4) On Feb. 13, a police chase that began in Marysville ended along I-405 when police got an assist from a snow bank.

5) And because people were out having fun in the snow, there were plenty of cameras around. In Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, a woman tried to run over a group of people after one of them apparently hit her Jeep with a snowball. The whole thing was caught on camera, and she was arrested.

6) Finally, police in Duvall had to use special tactical weapons to neutralize a gang hanging out at a snowy baseball field.