A man brandishing a machete was shot and killed Saturday night following a chase that started in Buckley, continued through Enumclaw and terminated in rural Cumberland.

According to information provided by the King County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began when Buckley police initiated pursuit of the man. They were soon joined by Enumclaw police and Washington State Patrol troopers. The chase led them into the Cumberland area northeast of Enumclaw.  The Sheriff’s Office was notified of the pursuit at 11:05 p.m.

Deputies went to the general area where the car was registered and, about a half-hour later, found the 1978 Ford Fiesta down a rural road in the 28500 block of Retreat-Kanaskat Road. The car was unoccupied.

As deputies inspected the vehicle, another deputy drove farther down the road. At 11:41, he found the suspect on the road carrying a large machete. The suspect walked up to the deputy’s car and slashed down on the hood of the car with the weapon.

The deputy called for assistance and additional deputies came to his location. The suspect refused to drop the machete and two deputies fired Tasers at him, but either missed or did not make good contact. Three deputies then fired and the suspect went down, hit multiple times.

Deputies provided emergency medical assistance until Maple Valley Fire Department crews arrived and took over primary care, but discontinued life-saving efforts at 12:05 a.m.

The three county deputies who fired have been placed on administrative leave, standard procedure following a fatal shooting.

The suspect had not been identified as of Monday afternoon. County authorities noted only that he lived in the Ravensdale area and had three warrants for his arrest for traffic-related offenses.

In addition, a county spokesman said he is listed in the state computer database as “potentially dangerous to officers,” because he previously made statements where he threatened to kill police.