A four-day saga of crime and punishment resulted in suspected auto thief Anthony Chilcott being fatally shot by county deputies, the case of the pickup heist resolved and, finally, a poodle reunited with its family.
Everything came to a head shortly after noon Monday, Nov. 25, in the 35200 block of Veazie-Cumberland Road, not too many miles north of Enumclaw.
Here’s how it all began. Details were compiled from information tweeted by the King County Sheriff’s Office, a press release issued by the department at 5:30 p.m. on the 25th, an interview with KCSO spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott and existing court documents.
Black Diamond resident Carl Sanders was filling the gas tank of his Ford Raptor pickup the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 22, at the Cenex store in Black Diamond. He headed into the store to make a quick purchase, leaving his vehicle unlocked and with a 4-year-old poodle named Monkey in the truck. That’s when a suspect – identified as 36-year-old Chilcott – jumped in the truck and sped away, with the large dog still in the cab of the truck. Gas was still flowing as the suspect fled, ripping the nozzle and hose from the fuel pump.
Chilcott was well-known in Black Diamond law enforcement circles, having more than one run-in with local police.
Law enforcement agencies hunted for the suspect, the stolen vehicle and Monkey throughout the weekend, with no luck.
On the 25th, the Raptor was spotted by a county deputy near Flaming Geyser State Park, but the speeding vehicle made a getaway. Later, a pair of county detectives received information indicating the stolen truck could be found in the vicinity of Southeast 352nd in the small, unincorporated community of Cumberland. They responded in their unmarked GMC Yukon and, when attempting to make contact, the suspect used the pickup to ram the police vehicle. The detectives stepped from their Yukon to confront the suspect and an altercation took place, with detectives reaching through broken windows to battle with the suspect. During that encounter, both deputies shot the suspect who died at the scene, still inside the stolen Raptor.
It’s unclear who made the first shot, as information from those final moments was initially vague, Abbott said; department rules mandate that officers are not talked to for 72 hours after they’ve been involved in a shooting.
One thing that was certain is that Monkey was still in the pickup at the time of the shooting. At that point, the frightened dog jumped from the pickup and ran. Monkey was soon returned to his family.
The deputies involved in the incident sustained lacerations to their hands and were treated at the scene. They have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure. One has been with the King County Sheriff’s Office for 21 years and the other six years.
In keeping with Initiative I-940, the Seattle Police Department responded and is investigating the shooting.
RELEASED ‘ON PERSONAL RECOGNIZANCE’
It’s unclear why Chilcott was not being held by police on Nov. 22, given his violent history and the fact he was arrested late last month after resisting arrest and damaging a department vehicle.
In July 2017, Chilcott was arrested by Black Diamond police for reckless driving and assault for punching officers.
Most recently, officers ran into Chilcott on Oct. 28, when someone called the police to report that it appeared there was a homeless person living in their neighbor’s house.
Chilcott was found exiting the detached garage of the home in question, and told officers he was simply “hanging out.” But when police attempted to make an arrest, he resisted and escaped. Officers attempted to slow him with a Taser, but the charge didn’t penetrate Chilcott’s jacket. A chase ensued through several backyards to Baker Street and officers caught up with him at the elementary school. He continued to resist police orders, making handcuffing difficult. Officers again deployed a Taser.
Officers found ammunition casings on Chilcott and, upon returning to the home, found an airsoft gun that had been modified to resemble a real weapon.
While locked in a police vehicle, Chilcott repeatedly kicked the rear driver’s side door, eventually damaging it to the point where officers were unable to open the door, as it was “bent outward significantly.”
Officers then pulled Chilcott from car and forced him to ground as he continued to resist.
But after his arrest, King County Superior Court Judge Chad Allred released Chilcott on Nov. 13 on his “personal recognizance” without any bond or surety.
Black Diamond Police Commander Larry Colagiovanni expressed disappointment at the judge’s decision.
“He definitely has a violent history, and it’s unusual that he was in jail for a very short period of time,” he said in a KIRO 7 TV interview. “The King County Prosecutor’s Office did a good job getting a bond on him, but a judge saw fit that he met the conditions of release, and released him without having to post any bail, essentially — released him on his own recognizance.”
Also with KIRO 7, Sanders said he hopes Allred “will see this story and come to some realization that this has to stop. There are too many innocent victims, for no reason.”
According to Allred’s bailiff, the judge is not at liberty to discuss Chilcott’s case and referred to King County Superior Court Presiding Judge Jim Rogers for details concerning the decision-making process when releasing suspects; Rogers did not respond by deadline.
