Man in wrong direction and high-speed police chase on I-90 to learn prison sentence

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 down the freeway and rammed police vehicles to escape using two stolen vehicles. At some points during the chase, speeds exceeded 100 kilometers per hour.

The King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian One helicopter captured some dramatic images of the incident and police said it was a miracle no one died.

Wilburn, who has more than 10 felonies on his record, apologized for his actions that day saying: “I just want to apologize for my actions this day, I know it wasn’t right, I should have done something different, but I clearly wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“I can’t go back, the only thing I can continue to do is move forward and not make the same mistakes in the future,” he added.

King County prosecutors argued that Wilburn’s actions put officers and many other drivers at risk as he fled from police.

“He reached speeds well over 100, changed lanes, swerved and drove on the shoulder,” said King County Deputy Prosecutor Steve Anderson. “He got so close to an Issaquah officer that he almost hit him, and that officer had to dive out of the way.”

According to the Bellevue Police Department, the dangerous chase began when officers saw Wilburn driving a stolen GMC Yukon near the Factoria shopping center. Police said Wilburn rammed two patrol cars while trying to escape, leading to a high-speed chase.

The chase continued east on I-90, endangering hundreds of lives, police said. When the chase reached Snoqualmie, officers used spike strips to deflate the Yukon’s tires.

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At that point, Wilburn exited the truck, stole another vehicle and eventually entered a tree farm in North Bend.

When he reached the Snoqualmie River and could not drive any further, he abandoned the car and tried to flee, but was arrested.

He is convicted of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, first-degree malicious mischief and theft of a motor vehicle.

In the end, the judge had to weigh Wilburn’s criminal history against state sentencing guidelines, and sentenced him to just over four years, which is at the high end of the allowable sentencing range.

“It’s very easy for you to be sitting in court facing charges or facing a sentence for vehicular manslaughter, and it’s only by the grace of God that you’re not, because the decisions you made that day, you very easily could have killed someone.” said Judge Andrea. Darvas said.