Stolen Limo - Helicopter over the scene

If any of you were awakened to the not-very-soothing sound of a hovering helicopter, it was due to a stolen limo that police had stopped at 23rd & Marion.

It started at 19th & Yesler at around 2:12am when a man called 911 to report that his white stretch limo had been stolen, last seen heading north on 23rd.   Interesting tidbit:  the limo still had 9 occupants in the back.  It's not clear if or when they knew that their ride had been hijacked.

Just a few minutes after the original call, police spotted the limo headed southbound on 23rd.   The vehicle stopped at Marion and the driver jumped out and ran eastbound.  The limo's passengers never got a good look at him (damn those limo privacy windows!).

K9 teams and King County's Guardian 1 helicopter were brought in to search for the suspect.  He was described as a light-skinned black male, 30s, 6', 170 lbs, wearing a royal blue sweater and a black beanie.

The dogs followed a scent eastbound to 24th & Marion, eventually tracking into a yard in the 2400 block of E. Spring and spots in the 900 block of 25th.  But they failed to find a suspect and police containment of the area was released at 2:48am.