Manhunt Seals Boeing Factory
A man pursued by authorities investigating a bank robbery crashed a car and fled into Boeing's widebody jet factory early Tuesday, halting production at the gigantic plant. A suspect was arrested shortly before noon, nearly 10 hours after he disappeared.
Police and Snohomish County sheriff's special weapons and tactics teams searched the factory, where 747, 767 and 777 jetliners are assembled. Sheriff's Sgt. Boyd Bryant said the man was discovered hiding in a crawl space. A dog had alerted police to the man's presence in the crawl space.
A normal second shift was planned later in the day.
Earlier, the factory and offices in the plant complex were evacuated and workers arriving for the day shift were kept outside, Boeing spokesman Doug Webb said.
Other Boeing employees who work in the building were told to simply stay home for the day. A nearby school, the Northshore Christian Academy, also canceled classes for the day.
Work continued on the nearby flight line, where finished planes are prepared for delivery, and in the delivery center, Webb said.
At 98 covered acres, the plant is considered the largest building in the world by volume, and its interior is a bewildering maze of catwalks, ductwork, overhead cranes, shops of widely varying sizes and nine work stations where the aircraft are assembled.
Police in this town about 25 miles north of Seattle and Snohomish County sheriff's deputies said a gunman made off with an unspecified amount of cash Monday morning from the Martha Lake branch of Wells Fargo Bank in nearby Lynnwood.
About 2 a.m. Tuesday, deputies on patrol spotted a vehicle matching the description of the getaway car and gave chase. Soon afterward, the car crashed on Washington 526, known as the Boeing Freeway, and the driver jumped a fence and ran into the sprawling plant.
Overnight shift workers in the plant who saw the man said he was carrying a handgun.
Webb said 2,000 to 3,000 workers are typically in the plant during the overnight shift and about 10,000 on weekday shifts. Total employment at the complex is about 20,000.