Suspected car thief escapes in stolen kayak

Suspected car thief escapes in stolen kayak
Stock photo
BAINBRIDGE ISLAND, Wash. - A man caught driving a stolen vehicle managed to escape from pursuing officers when he abandoned the vehicle, ran to the waterfront and paddled away in a stolen kayak.

The incident began at about 2:35 p.m. Saturday when an officer spotted the stolen car at Battle Point Park on Bainbridge Island.

The driver of the vehicle sped away. Following a short pursuit, he abandoned the vehicle on a nearby access road and ran into a wooded area.

A Kitsap County K-9 police dog responded to the scene and tracked the suspect to the waterfront on North Tolo Road.

At about the same time, a local resident reported his kayak was missing from the same spot. A search of the area by the Bainbridge Island Police Marine unit failed to locate the kayak.

The suspect is described as a white male, 25 to 30 years old, between 5-feet-8 and 6 feet tall, with short brown hair and an athletic build. He was last seen wearing a blue short sleeve shirt, possibly a T shirt and beige or faded blue running shorts.

The missing kayak is described as a 17-foot Eddie Line "Raven" model with a white hull and a blue deck.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Bainbridge Island Police Department at 206-842-5211.