Handcuffed Man Steals Washington Deputy's Patrol Car

The man who police say stole a King County Sheriff's patrol car while handcuffed was finally taken into custody a second time Saturday afternoon after a search that lasted for several hours.

The hunt began after a deputy reported his SUV stolen around 9 a.m. in the North Bend area. The deputy was responding to a report of a suspicious car and person around 8:30 a.m., the King County Sheriff's Office said, and approached a man who had several warrants out for his arrest.

It is unclear what followed, but the investigators say the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Teddy Bell of Snoqualmie, managed to get into the deputy's car and drive off while still handcuffed. The deputy was not in the SUV at the time, a sheriff's office spokesman said.

Officials told KOMO TV Bell managed to slip the cuffs in a way to where he could get his hands in front of him.

Bell drove the deputy's SUV about 5 miles before stopping in the Uplands area near North Bend, according to Capt. Rodney Chinnick with the King County Sheriff's Office. Deputies and officers from several different law enforcement agencies set-up a perimeter around the area, brought in a search helicopter and two police dogs and tracked him down.