Robbers Open Fire On Samaritan After White Center Purse Snatching

SEATTLE, WA - A Samaritan who tried to intervene in a White Center robbery was nearly killed when the suspects opened fire on him. The incident happened Thursday night in White Center, but the suspects were later captured in Seattle.

The incident happened around 11 p.m. Thursday along the 9800 block of 16th Avenue Southwest, in the heart of White Center's commercial district. The Samaritan was inside a cafe when he looked outside and saw a woman struggling with two men.

One of the men pulled a gun on the Samaritan, and then both suspects got into a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and started to drive away. The Samaritan jumped into his car and began following them. A few blocks north along Delridge Way Southwest, one of the suspects leaned out the window of the Monte Carlo and opened fire.

The Samaritan didn't give up and chased the suspects all the way to the SR 520 interchange along I-5 just north of downtown Seattle. That's where Seattle police caught up to the cars. A 19-year-old man in the car was arrested for doing the shooting. Police also arrested a 21-year-old man and another 19-year-old for assault and drive-by shooting.

The Samaritan was not injured during the shooting, but his car was damaged. Police recovered the woman's purse in the Monte Carlo, and the King County Sheriff's Office is investigating that crime because it occurred outside Seattle.

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