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SEATTLE— A man who led police on a dangerous 30-mile chase through eastern King County in April was sentenced to 50 months in prison Friday afternoon.
Brandon Wilburn led police on a high-speed chase in which he went the wrong way on the highway and rammed police vehicles to get away with the help of two stolen vehicles. During the chase, speeds sometimes exceeded 160 kilometers per hour.
The King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One helicopter captured dramatic footage of the incident and police said it was a miracle no one was killed.
Wilburn, who has more than ten offenses to his name, apologized for his actions that day, saying: “I just want to apologize for my actions on this day, I know it wasn’t right, I should have done something different , but clearly I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
“I can’t go backwards, all I can do is keep moving forward and not make the same mistakes in the future,” he added.
King County prosecutors argued that Wilburn’s actions endangered officers and countless other drivers as he fled police.
“He was doing speeds well over 100, he was changing lanes, he was swerving, he was driving on the shoulder,” said King County Deputy Prosecutor Steve Anderson. “He got so close to an Issaquah officer that he almost hit that officer that that officer had to duck out of the way.”
According to Bellevue police, the dangerous chase began when officers spotted Wilburn driving a stolen GMC Yukon near the Factoria Mall. Police said Wilburn rammed two police cars while trying to escape, sparking a high-speed chase.
The chase continued east on I-90, putting hundreds of lives in danger, police said. When the chase reached Snoqualmie, officers used spike strips to flatten the Yukon’s tires.
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At that point, Wilburn got out of the SUV, stole another vehicle and eventually drove into a tree farm in North Bend.
When he reached the Snoqualmie River and could drive no further, he abandoned the car and tried to run away, but was arrested.
He has been convicted of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, malicious mischief in the first degree and theft of a motor vehicle.
Ultimately, the judge had to weigh Wilburn’s criminal history against state guidelines, resulting in him being sentenced to just over four years, which is on the higher end of the allowable sentencing range.
“You could very easily find yourself in court with a charge or a conviction for vehicular homicide, and it is only by the grace of God that you are not, because with the choices you made that day, you could have could very easily kill someone,” Judge Andrea said. Darvas said.
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