Tacoma man rams Seattle fire truck, leading police on chases
By: Seattle, WA - A 38-year-old Tacoma man accused of reversing his car into a Seattle Fire Department engine and fleeing from police in a series of dangerous pursuits is facing multiple felony charges in King County.
Prosecutors filed charges against Zachary Ronald McCreary last week, accusing him of three counts of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, two counts of hit-and-run of an attended vehicle and one count of reckless driving.
“He's facing multiple felony charges in this case,” said Douglas Wagoner, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
On June 20, Seattle police say McCreary was spotted near a closed West Seattle tow yard in a white Chevrolet Malibu with no license plates. When an officer approached in a marked patrol car, McCreary allegedly reversed toward the officer, pinning the vehicle against a storage gate, before fleeing. Officers briefly pursued but said he drove recklessly into oncoming traffic and got away.
Four days later, Kent police said they saw the same Malibu run a red light on Pacific Highway South. When officers tried to stop the car, McCreary accelerated to about 85 mph, swerved across lanes and dodged stop sticks. The chase was called off out of concern for public safety.
“Any time we see an individual causing damage to law enforcement, threatening law enforcement — and that includes our first responders — it’s really concerning behavior,” Wagoner said.
The most serious incident came on Aug. 3 in downtown Seattle. According to a statement of probable cause, firefighters told police that a man pulled up in a silver Honda Civic, offered them nitrous oxide — commonly referred to as “whippits” — and then backed into their fire engine multiple times before speeding away.
“To see a fire truck rammed by a car — that’s serious behavior,” Wagoner said. “And that’s why we filed those felony charges and sought the bail amount that we did.”
Less than an hour later, Seattle police located the damaged Honda on Aurora Avenue North. Dash camera video released by the department shows officers attempting a traffic stop as the driver weaved through traffic, slammed on his brakes in front of patrol cars and struck at least one police vehicle. Investigators said the pursuit reached speeds of 85 mph before officers terminated it after about four minutes.
McCreary was arrested three days later, on Aug. 6, outside his workplace in Fife. Detectives tracked his location through cell phone pings and took him into custody without incident while he was at lunch, according to charging papers. Police said he was carrying a concealed pistol but did not have a license.
“Whenever we have evidence to prove that someone was targeting a first responder, whether their person or their vehicle, you can count on King County prosecutors to respond and to hold those individuals accountable through the justice system,” Wagoner said.
Court records show McCreary has a prior conviction in Indiana for possession of drug paraphernalia in 2015 and a pending misdemeanor case for obstructing a law enforcement officer in Puyallup earlier this year.
McCreary remains in the King County Jail on $100,000 bail. His arraignment is scheduled later this week.