Suspect in standoff was Auburn man, 28

A man who police say opened fire on officers late Friday, sparking a standoff that ended with his suicide, was identified Tuesday as Timofey Shechuk, 28.

Renton police say Shechuk was about to be arrested on suspicion of soliciting prostitutes when he fired at officers. He then ran across Highway 167, hid in a wetland and continued firing at officers and a police helicopter in an hours-long standoff that ended when he fatally shot himself.

Shechuk died from a gunshot wound to the chest, the King County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Shechuk was a Level 1 sex offender living in Auburn who was wanted on a misdemeanor warrant in Kent, said Renton police spokeswoman Penny Bartley. Officers received a tip around 11:15 p.m. Friday and watched two women go into a hotel in the 1700 block of East Valley Road; police approached two men sitting in a car in the parking lot, Bartley said. One man was cooperative, but the other, Shechuk, took off, firing at officers as he ran, police said.

Man charged after police car stolen

A man who officers say fought with them and stole their car was charged with second-degree robbery, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and a drug violation.

Prosecutors still are reviewing the case against David Gulseth, 35, of Black Diamond and could file an assault charge against him for allegedly punching an officer several times in the head, said King County prosecutors' spokesman Dan Donohoe.

On Dec. 28, Gulseth was arrested in a restaurant restroom after an officer spotted him driving a car reported stolen from Tacoma, charging papers say. He was placed in the back of a police car, and prosecutors speculate that he was able to slip his handcuffed hands in front of him and push through a plastic partition into the driver's seat, charging papers say. Police say Gulseth sped off in the police car, eventually crashing it in the 2700 block of Harbor Avenue Southwest.

He hid in a greenbelt but was arrested around 10:45 p.m. and booked into King County Jail, where he is being held in lieu of $250,000 bail, charging papers say. Officers later found two syringes and heroin on the front seat of the car Gulseth had been driving when he was first spotted, the papers say.

Seattle

Teen killed in crash on viaduct is named

The King County Medical Examiner's Office on Tuesday identified Lyndsy Sansaver as the 16-year-old who died early Sunday in a high-speed crash on the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Just before 1 a.m., witnesses called 911 to report a car speeding on Highway 99, said Seattle police spokeswoman Debra Brown. It appears the woman driving the car lost control, causing the vehicle to collide with the guardrail to the left of the roadway, crossing all lanes and hitting the right guardrail, then spinning around before stopping, Brown said.

Sansaver, who was in the back seat, was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the car, Brown said. A 20-year-old female passenger needed stitches for cuts; the woman driving the vehicle was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving and vehicular homicide and was booked into King County Jail, she said. No other details on the women were available.

Bicyclist collides with deputy's car

A 20-year-old bicyclist was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Tuesday morning after colliding with a police cruiser driven by a King County sheriff's deputy.

About 5:30 a.m., the deputy, who is assigned to the city of SeaTac, was driving north in the 34200 block of Military Road South on her way to work when "pow, there's a bicyclist in her windshield," said sheriff's spokesman Travis DeFries.

It was dark and foggy, and there are no street lights in the area, DeFries said. The man wasn't wearing a helmet or any reflective clothing, and the deputy "never even saw him," DeFries said. He said the deputy has been with the department for nine years.

Accident investigators are hoping to speak to a motorist who was driving behind the deputy's vehicle at the time of the accident, DeFries said. The unknown witness went to a nearby convenience store to report the collision but left before speaking to deputies. Anyone with information is asked to call 206-296-3311.

Man killed when ATV hits tree

A 25-year-old Mountlake Terrace man died early New Year's Day after crashing an all-terrain vehicle into a tree in Lynnwood.

David Newton borrowed the three-wheeled vehicle from someone who was having a New Year's Eve party in the 20800 block of 49th Place West, according to a news release from Lynnwood police.

Newton wasn't wearing a helmet and was driving fast when he lost control of the vehicle and ran into a tree in a neighbor's yard about 1:45 a.m. Sunday, according to the release.

Man held in jail after bank robbery

A man believed to be connected to seven South King County bank robberies was arrested Tuesday morning after he allegedly robbed a Washington Mutual branch in Kent.

The man was seen throwing money from his truck, and his vehicle was stained red from exploding dye packs, said FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs. The man and his getaway driver are being held at King County Jail. Federal agents had been looking for the man since he was first seen on bank surveillance cameras in November, Burroughs said.

Times staff and news services