Van used as getaway vehicle crashes into store, injures 11

A van used as a getaway car crashed into a store in Washington state and injured 11 people, including a 2-year-old boy, on Monday night, officials said.

The white van slammed into a Ross Dress for Less store in Burien, Wash., after police say it was being used as a getaway for an alleged shoplifter, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott told The Hill. 

A female suspect was allegedly shoplifting “some knickknacks” before running to a white van being driven by a 51-year-old male suspect. The engine was revving before the vehicle moved to the front of the building and hit another car before “pinballing himself into the glass straight past the registers,” Abbott said. 

The vehicle ended up about 35 feet inside the store and pinning the 2-year-old boy against clothing racks. He originally didn’t have a pulse following the incident, but officials performed CPR and the boy was taken to a hospital. The child, his 41-year-old grandfather and a 30-year-old man were all hospitalized and listed in critical condition as of Monday night, Abbott said.

The other eight people taken to local hospitals were treated for issues ranging from broken bones to precautionary examinations. 

Upon arrival, deputies described the scene as “mayhem” with “a lot of screaming,” Abbott told The Hill.

The driver of the van was arrested on suspicion of a DUI. His blood was tested, and the results are pending. The female passenger was also arrested on an unrelated warrant and booked for shoplifting, Abbott said.