A lengthy helicopter search for a stolen 2004 Cadillac Escalade rattled nerves across Capitol Hill Wednesday night where memories of loud law enforcement and media helicopters and air surveillance during the 2020 protests are still fresh.
The Washington State Patrol tell CHS that a trooper received a “ping” from the vehicle’s LoJack anti-theft system around 7:30 PM Wednesday and the King County Sheriff was called in to assist from the air, setting off a 45-minute search.
The Guardian One chopper spun loops around the area assisting WSP’s attempts to pursue the vehicle below until after 8 PM.
During the search, social media posts from people wondering what was going on and speculating about the helicopter began to build as accounts from the state patrol, the sheriff, and SPD remained silent.
Some worried about law enforcement activity related to possible protests in the wake of the release of the Dan Auderer bodycam video. Others who attempted to monitor East Precinct radio updates to learn more about the situation were also in the dark with Seattle Police standing by during the WSP search.
A state patrol spokesperson tells CHS the SUV was eventually tracked down at apartments near the Capitol Hill Goodwill where the driver was taken into custody for possession of the stolen vehicle. Medics were also called to the Belmont address after a passenger in the stolen Cadillac reportedly swallowed a bottle of unknown drugs. Seattle Fire says it treated a 28-year-old woman at the scene and she was transported to Harborview in stable condition.
Despite the confusion Wednesday night, stolen cars are frequently the center of similar searches. CHS reported on this incident in 2019 involving a Guardian One search above the streets just south of E Madison after a parked Lexus set off the anti-theft system.
😵💫😵💫😵💫 pic.twitter.com/uHvC4tCNrg
— Aaron J (@flyguy84) September 14, 2023
In that incident, a SPD spokesperson told CHS the LoJack search requires multiple officers to simultaneously triangulate the general location of the pings. Once it is narrowed down the location provided by the system is very specific. That search also can grow thanks to the King County Sheriff whose Guardian One helicopter is available as a shared resource to other law enforcement and is frequently employed in car searches when already in flight and available.
As part of their business models, companies like LoJack provide training and equipment to law enforcement agencies across the country but have faced increasing pressure from manufacturers shipping new model vehicles with built-in systems. LoJack ceased sales in the United States in 2021 but said it will continue to support existing customers.
A 2004 Cadillac Escalade is worth around $7,500 according to the current market estimates.
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So they thought it necessary to harass us residents so they could locate some old 2004 Cadillac?! WTF?! Aren’t they understaffed?
It must have been made of diamonds.
an inconvenience is not harassment
“Rattles nerves”? Good grief, people are overly sensitive. It’s a noisy neighborhood. Always has been. If your nerves are so rattled, consider moving.
Yes let’s add needless noise over a stupid hunk of metal
Public should have been informed early for a number of reasons and maybe could have helped to avoid the expensive disruptive flight. Silence from embarrassment.
Even at that rate, the Caddy is still depreciating slower than the SPD.
Having guardian one follow a stolen vehicle is actually much safer than having Police chase it. I wish guardian one were available for this sort of thing more often! Stolen vehicles are Having guardian one follow a stolen vehicle is actually much safer than having Police chase it. I wish guardian one were available for this sort of thing more often! Stolen vehicles are used to commit crimes, often used to commit crimes, and finding one stolen car often solves a number of problems!
Ohhh wait I might’ve seen the stolen car just parked on the street, with a parking enforcement officer looking it over during the search. It was around 8pm last night, and a car matching that make & model was sitting on the sidewalk near Twice Told Tales. The license plates had been removed, and a PEO was parked alongside it with their hazard lights on, talking to a group of 4 or 5 people on the street. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but it sure seems likely that it was the car in question. The helicopters kept circling for about a half hour afterwards.
I appreciate the value of heli support but that’s a lot of loops for what sounds like a kind of non-urgent, low mobility target. Wondering why they don’t call this thing up when people are shot and there’s illegal racing three blocks from the police station.
Kudos to the King Co. Sheriffs Office…..nice work!
This is like last week when SPD started blipping their sirens from 1-2am in the Judkins park area as they flew a Cessna overhead. They claimed they were setting up a perimeter to catch a.violent criminal who had committed a crime an hour prior to their arrival and that the Cessna was from the KC Sheriff’s office looking for a car on an unrelated call.
Neither the criminal nor the car were found. Surprise surprise.
After I filed a complaint, they called me back at 3am. But, I hadn’t fallen back asleep by then and called out their tactics as fruitless, useless, and creating an atmosphere of fear in a black-majority neighborhood. The joke of a sergeant who called probably thought he was re-waking me up. But, he got an earful instead. SPD is a joke and our joke of a city council is always in complete lockstep with them.
Except when Councilmembers stood out in the street and announced Solidarity with the protesters at the East Precinct three years ago.
Really, a 45 minute helicopter search FOCUSED directly overhead in a densely populated neighborhood is a bit disconcerting. Despite the article stating “stolen cars are frequently the center of similar searches”, the last one occurred FOUR years ago, BEFORE the pandemic, chop, whatever mayhem. Seriously, was it serious to alarm / irritate hundreds of residents over a “property crime”, which we all know is OFF any SPU priority list – at least it is on Capitol Hill. Give me a break!