Police: Suspicious person aboard drifting Victoria Clipper

[icymist]

Source: KOMO news, Seattle

SEATTLE - Seattle Police, the Coast Guard, and SWAT teams have been called to Elliot Bay after reports of a suspicious person being on board a Victoria Clipper that was seen drifting in the water shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday morning.

Witnesses say three black SUVs and a SWAT truck raced through Seattle's Queen Anne neighborhood an hour later, while two Coast Guard boats escorted a Foss tug boat that was pulling the Clipper further off shore.

Sherri Havens was watching the scene unfold and said the boat looked as though the boat had lost power and was drifting towards Magnolia from the grain terminal, however it is unclear whether it did lose power and was adrift.

Read more: http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Police-Suspicious-person-aboard-drifting-Victoria-Clipper-233991741.html

[icymist]

1. Picture of Victoria Clipper adrift in Elliot Bay

https://twitter.com/hellbox/status/407177152912564225/photo/1/large

[icymist]

2. Police and Coast Guard respond to stolen Victoria Clipper

Seattle police officers, SWAT team members, bomb squad and the Coast Guard have all responded to Pier 69 after a suspicious person boarded the Victoria Clipper and attempted to steal it early this morning.

Victoria Clipper staff tell KIRO7 they came to check on the boat when they noticed the Clipper pulling away just before 6 a.m.

They checked to see if it was one of their employees but when they realized it was not, they contacted police. The Clipper first went south and then ended up between Grain terminal and Elliot Bay marina.

http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/police-and-coast-guard-respond-stolen-victoria-cli/nb8Jy/

[icymist]

13. And here's the winner folks!!!

Victoria Clipper stolen; SWAT team arrests man after standoff



Seattle police arrested a man who allegedly stole one of the the Victoria Clipper ferries this morning, then locked himself in the pilothouse while the boat drifted in Elliott Bay.

A SWAT team boarded the high-speed catamaran about 10:20 a.m. and arrested the unarmed man within 15 minutes, police reported.

The man told police he took the boat because he “wanted to go to West Seattle,” police spokesman Sean Whitcomb said.

About 12:30 p.m., when the ferry returned to port under its own power, police escorted a man from the vessel in handcuffs. The man — wearing a white bandana, an orange life vest and dressed in black — was arrested on suspicion of charges that could include piracy and grand theft of a vessel, police said. He was to be booked into King County Jail.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

14. The Rat ain't so smart eh?

[KT2000]

3. WTH??

What crazy person would do that - obviously did not know how to operate it.
Very bizarre.

[Ian David]

4. So, is their theory someone untied the boat from the mooring and didn't know how to start the engine

... and then the boat just drifted away with this dude onboard?

Like, the dude didn't know he needed to put a key in the ignition or something?

"Hey, I like that boat. I wonder if I can steal it. Well, I'm not doing anything else right now, so I'll give it a try. I bet I can download the owner's manual from the internet on my smart phone."

Or maybe he got it started, but it ran out of fuel or he over-taxed the engine?

Or maybe the owners called OnStar and had them remotely turn-off the engine once it was stolen?

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

5. That is exactly what happened to my bosses boat

Some drunk chicks stumbled on to it and just drifted off into Newport Bay with it.

[icymist]

7. The Victoria Clipper is a high speed international ferry...

http://www.clippervacations.com/clipper-ferry/

[bemildred]

12. It's a nice ride too. nt

[nolabear]

6. Sucker's still out there. Best hangover story ever?

Been on the clipper a bunch of times. It's a passenger ferry that runs up to BC, so isn't THAT big, but somebody would have to be a major fool to try to run it solo.

I can't help but chuckle, hope it all ends okay.

[PSPS]

8. The excitement is over now

Seattle police have apprehended a man who allegedly stole one of the the Victoria Clipper vessels and locked himself into the pilot house while the boat was adrift in Elliott Bay this morning.

A SWAT team boarded the vessel shortly at about 10:20 and took him into custody about 15 minutes later.

“The Seattle Police Department SWAT team is on board the vessel now,” U.S. Coast Guard Operations Specialist Chason Ashworth said at 10:20 a.m.

“There’s an individual on board and he’s locked himself in the pilot house, and they’re trying to talk to him right now. He’s not cooperating with law enforcement.”

More at: http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/12/victoria-clipper-stolen-suspicious-person-aboard/

[icymist]

9. You beat me to it!

It's going to be interesting to find out why this guy did this.

[Lasher]

15. He “wanted to go to West Seattle.”

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2013/12/victoria-clipper-stolen-suspicious-person-aboard/

[freshwest]

17. Why not take a bus? I don't think this is the full story. If he'd been able to operate it, he might

have got away?

What an adventure he had.

[nolabear]

11. Arrested for dumbassery in the 1st degree. Bets up here are that it's a Saints fan. LOL!

Geaux Saints!!

[uppityperson]

10. Last year someone stole the Adventuress' big wooden wheel too. People are weird.

[NBachers]

16. Seemed like a good idea at the time . . .

[pinboy3niner]

18. When asked why he did it, he said...

[maxsolomon]

19. Drunk tweakers

I know you haven't been inagurated yet, Ed Murray, but you're supposed to fix this stuff!