A 32-year-old felon was arrested Wednesday afternoon after South Precinct officers located a stolen car in a parking lot and tracked the suspect to a motel room nearby.

At around 4:00 pm on Wednesday, Officers Mark Rawlins and Kendall Holt, while on emphasis patrol, observed a 1995 Honda sedan in the parking lot of a motel in the 5200 block of 4th Avenue South, where officers have recently recovered stolen vehicles, abandoned in the parking lot.

Officers found the unoccupied Honda had been reported stolen, and they noticed the vehicle’s ignition had been damaged. The officers were able to review motel video surveillance footage and determine that a man had arrived in the stolen car and entered one of the motel rooms. Officers learned from the manager that a woman had also been staying in that particular room. The officers knocked on the door and spoke with the resident. The woman refused to allow the officers to enter the room, but stated that the man they were looking for had already left.

One of the officers returned to the manager’s office and watched the entire video surveillance footage from the time the Honda arrived in the morning until 4:00 pm. The footage showed both the lot and the entrance to the motel room. No one was observed leaving the room during that time frame.

After confirming the identity of the woman in the room, officers were able to find a possible identification for the man last seen entering her room. As it turned out, the man was wanted on several outstanding arrest warrants including a Department of Corrections violation and a DUI.

The officers contacted detectives from the Major Crimes Task Force (MCTF) to respond while the officers continued to attempt to make contact with the male in the room, unsuccessfully. The officers applied for and were granted a Superior Court search warrant. The North Precinct Anti-Crime Team responded and served the warrant. As soon as door was opened, the suspect inside the motel room came out and was arrested without incident.

MCTF detectives interviewed the suspect and later booked him into the King County Jail on his outstanding warrants and investigation of auto theft. Major Crimes detectives will continue to handle the follow up investigation.