Trooper shoots, kills man armed with hammer along I-5 in Everett

A Washington State Patrol trooper shot and killed a man armed with a hammer on northbound Interstate 5 in Everett on Thursday afternoon.

Troopers were called to a road rage incident on I-5 just north of Highway 2 just after 4 p.m.

A man was ramming his car into a Washington State Department of Transportation contractors’ vehicle and a lift on the shoulder of I-5 that was operating over the slough, according to the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team . The lift had two employees on board.

The suspect, who was armed with a hammer, got out of his car and started fighting with the workers and the trooper. During the fight, the trooper shot the suspect, who died at the scene.

We spoke with a man who was driving past the scene at the time. He said he saw the trooper trying to use a stun gun on the suspect.

“The guy turned away from the police officer and just high-tailed it as fast as he could. He was running full speed, head down, just charging north up the 5. And the trooper began giving chase like he was chasing him down to tackle him,” said witness David Scherer.

One of the WSDOT contractors was hurt, but their injuries were not life-threatening.

The Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team is investigating.

All lanes of northbound I-5 were closed for hours during the investigation, causing gridlock for drivers during the peak hours of the commute.

WSDOT said all lanes were back open at around midnight.