WASHINGTON OFFICER APPARENTLY HIT BY CAR FIRES GUN

An Everett police officer fired his gun after a car apparently struck him during an arrest early Wednesday. Officers had been dispatched at 12:53 a.m. on Thursday March 22 to Mukilteo Boulevard and Dogwood Drive after a woman called to complain of a disturbance with a man. When police arrived, they found a 28-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman sitting in a car in a parking lot. The man, who wasn't cooperative, eventually was handcuffed and arrested. He and an officer were standing behind the car when the woman began backing up the car.

The officer grabbed the man and pulled him out of the way, saving both of them from injury. Another officer ordered the woman to stop the car, and she ignored him. The second officer then was vaulted onto the hood of the vehicle.

The second officer then fired his gun once, in an attempt to stop the threat. No one was struck by the bullet. The officer was not injured.

The woman fled, prompting a chase by Everett police with the help of Snohomish County sheriff's deputies. She was stopped on Highway 526 and arrested on suspicion of first-degree assault and eluding police. The man was jailed on suspicion of obstructing police and possessing drug paraphernalia. The 34-year-old officer who fired his gun is a two-year veteran. He was placed on administrative leave pending an investigation, as is routine after an officer-involved shooting.