by David Mendez

Federal agents driving unmarked cars chased an unknown person through residential side streets at high speeds in Shoreline’s Parkwood neighborhood on Sunday.

The Osprey witnessed the chase, in which agents drove through neighborhood streets at high speeds with flashing lights and sirens, before it ended near Stone Avenue North and North 161st Street.

Witness video taken by a neighbor showed apparent federal agents wearing tactical vests with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement patches. Some were seen wearing facial coverings while others covered up once they learned they were being recorded — all apparent violations of Washington State law. Video then showed the agents getting into unmarked vehicles and driving away, apparently without the person they were chasing.

James Rietzke’s used to hearing sirens from his backyard — his home is a long stone’s throw from Aurora Avenue. But as he heard the sirens getting louder, he realized they were coming down his street.

“We saw a car drive by, saw another car drive by, and I was like, thos are unmarked vehicles — was that ICE? So we ran out of the gate and came around the corner immediately,” Rietzke told The Osprey. He heard yelling as agents identified themselves as “police” and “ICE” and took out his phone.

Soon after agents saw him, they left the area. It wasn’t immediately clear that they had detained anyone. The civilian car that was being chased — a blue sedan — was initially left behind at the scene.

According to additional witnesses, federal agents were chasing a man before he hastily parked his car on the side of the road, jumped out and hid on a nearby residential property. ICE agents sought access to the property, but were denied entry by the person living there, a resident named Kyle.

Neighbors were shaken up. Kyle was in his driveway, working on his car, when he heard the commotion.

“I got up, was looking around, and this guy runs past me. He ran through my yard and then I lost track of where he went,” he said, adding that the person they were chasing appeared Hispanic. When agents asked if they could search for the man, Kyle said no, and looked himself. By then, he said, the man was gone. “So I assume he just kept going through people’s yards to get away.”

The agents repeatedly told Kyle that the man they were chasing was a felon. “I’m not really sure about the validity of that,” he said.

About 15 minutes later, the abandoned car was gone. According to neighbors, the man — clearly distressed — emerged from a nearby hiding spot, retook his car and drove off.

ICE policies regarding “emergency driving” are governed by a 2012 handbook, which asks agents to consider if the “severity of the criminal offense outweighs the danger” to the public before deciding to engage in a chase.

But ICE has been criticized for aggressive tactics that have lead to deaths and injuries across the country this year. On Monday morning, ICE agents allegedly shot and killed a person in a vehicle in Maine. Last week in Houston, agents shot and killed a man during a vehicle stop. ICE chases led to two crashes in Detroit in May and June, leaving both civilians and agents with injuries. A woman was killed in Georgia in February by a man who was fleeing from ICE arrest.

ICE has yet to respond to a request for comment regarding the agency’s policies and tactics.

“I hate hearing about ICE activity in our community. It does not reflect our values, it does not reflect who we are as local citizens or as local leaders,” Shoreline Mayor Betsy Robertson told The Osprey on Monday when asked about the incident.

“This activity is not welcome in Shoreline. It’s wildly frustrating that these agents are fanning their noses at the laws that have been passed in our state,” Robertson said, urging that residents document “illegal activity” — such as ICE agents violating the state’s mask ban for law enforcement — with police reports and video recordings.

“It sounds like documenting might have defused the situation,” she said.

Documenting ICE activity prevented another arrest last month, according to Shoreline residents who testified before the city council. Last month, federal agents reportedly arrested one person, then apparently gave up an attempted arrest of another when onlookers approached with cameras.

During the public comment period of the Shoreline City Council’s June 22 meeting, Nicole Solano said she and a group of friends were stopped at a bank when they saw apparent federal agents surrounding a woman outside her car.

Solano pulled out her phone and began recording. The agents quickly pulled up their masks, got into their cars, and drove away, leaving the woman alone.

“I rushed in, and I pulled this woman, my neighbor, into my arms. I held her, and I told her how sorry I was. I'll never forget how she sobbed against my shoulder," Solano said through her own sobs. "I don't know how long I held her there. I wanted her to know she wasn't alone."

She later learned that the woman’s partner had been arrested by federal agents, and realized that her intervention had kept ICE from arresting the woman she hugged.

Solano had previously publicly lobbied the council to take action against ICE agents in Shoreline, insisting the city do more to protect her neighbors and fellow residents.

“Months ago, we told you this was going to happen. We asked you to do something to prepare,” she said, admonishing the council. “You did nothing.”

Earlier this year, the Shoreline council passed resolutions outlining the city’s “role and responsibilities” regarding immigration enforcement, as well as a ban preventing ICE from staging on city-controlled properties.

But Shoreline can’t direct its police officers to counter ICE tactics. The Shoreline Police Department is staffed under a contract with the King County Sheriff’s Office, and its officers are subject to KCSO policies.

Solano’s husband, Norbert Steel, then slammed the council from the public’s lectern. “Your unwillingness to fight has culminated in groups of masked, armed men abducting and attempting to abduct people in this city,” Steel said. “You may not have thought you’d be signing up for this, but you did. This is your f—king job.”

After the meeting concluded, a handful of council members accompanied Solano to the Shoreline Police Department to make a report.

“I’m so glad you were there,” Councilmember Annette Ademasu told a still-shaken Solano as they waited to give a report to Shoreline police.

“I was really trying to enjoy my Saturday. I just wanted to go to the farmer’s market, go to a garage sale,” Solano said.

“And you saved a person from being abducted,” Ademasu replied.