Car prowl suspect running from police, struck by vehicle on I-5 ramp

A 25-year-old suspected car prowler suffered life-threatening injuries after running onto a freeway onramp and into traffic, where he was struck by a vehicle, according to Seattle police.

Around 1 p.m., a traffic-enforcement officer noticed a man prowling parked cars in the area of 6th Avenue and Marion Street and radioed for an officer to respond, said police spokeswoman Reneé Witt. A patrol officer arrived a minute later and began chasing the suspect, yelling at him to stop, she said.

The man kept running and was able to lose the officer in the foot chase.

Moments later, a call came in that a man had been struck on Interstate 5.

Although details are still sketchy, it appears the man ran onto an I-5 onramp near the Convention Center "to avoid being captured," Witt said. He was hit by at least one vehicle. State troopers are investigating the incident on the freeway.

The man, who was critically injured, was being taken to Harborview Medical Center, said Dana Vander Houwen, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Fire Department.

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com