Allegedly Took A Rental Car From A Random Person At A Hotel Near SEA-TAC

An incident that might have come out of the movies happened in real life at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport Saturday. A 43-year-old pilot for Omni Air, a charter airline, was arrested for stealing a car from a random person at a hotel near SEA-TAC, as well a driving under the influence.

The person driving the car was a resident of Bainbridge, WA, who told police that he had just gotten into the car at a hotel near the airport when the pilot, who has not been named, got into the back seat. The driver asked the intruder what he was doing, and the person said "You know, you know."

The man then reportedly produced a handgun, and there was a brief struggle in which the driver hit the person trying to take the car several times with his own gun. But according to the Associated Press, when both got out of the car, the thief got into the drivers seat and drove away.

King County sheriff's Sgt. Cindi West said the car, and a bloodied suspected car thief, were found a short time later in a nearby parking lot.

Omni Air president and CEO Jeff Crippen said he has not been fully appraised of the situation, but a full investigation in planned. The pilot, meanwhile, has been suspended while the incident is sorted out. The FAA is conducting a separate investigation as well

FMI:  www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff.aspx