One man eluded police capture during a pursuit on the Plateau in the early hours of Saturday morning involving a canine unit, and a police helicopter equipped with thermal night vision equipment.

Police were able to capture two of the three men suspected of the burglary of a Sammamish home moments before.

According to Sammamish Police Detective Bill Albright, the three men came to the attention of a traffic enforcement officer conducting DUI checks. Det. Albright said the officer observed the vehicle “acting suspiciously, performing a number of traffic violations” near the Pine Lake shopping center at the intersection of 228th Avenue Southeast and Southeast 24th Street.

“When the officer lit ’em up, the car took off,” Det. Albright said.

The officer pursued the vehicle north and then south along 228th, down Issaquah-Pine Lake Road SE and left onto SE 32nd Way before ending in 235 Place S.E., where the officer performed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT), clipping the vehicle from the rear and causing it to spin out of control.

According to Det. Albright, three white males then emerged from the vehicle and continued on foot.

Sammamish Police officers were joined by officers from the Issaquah Police Department and King County Sheriff’s Office, in addition to the county’s K-9 unit and Guardian 1 helicopter. A perimeter was set up in an effort to contain the three men.

Utilizing heat sensing technology, officers in the helicopter located two of the men hiding in bushes next to a water retention pond near Sunny Hills Elementary School.

A 19-year-old from Renton and a 23-year-old from Tukwila were taken into custody. According to police, the 23-year-old has an extensive criminal history.

Police originally reported that four men emerged from the vehicle, and that two had eluded capture. However, after interviewing the two arrested men, believe now they are only looking for one man.

According to Sammamish Police Sergeant Robert Baxter, “we have good information on the third,” and they hope to pick him up soon.

Over the next few hours, police continued to maintain the perimeter, but were unable to locate the remaining suspect.

Det. Albright said it was likely the man ran south into the Klahanie neighborhood.

“Often, as time passes, the suspects are able to use their cell phones to call someone to come and pick them up,” he said, speculating how he was able to get away.

The noise of the low-flying helicopter awakened a number of Sammamish residents and prompted several calls into City Hall.

Back at the abandoned vehicle, police recovered a purse, linking the three men to the burglary of a house a few blocks away in the Audobon Park neighborhood.

According to Det. Albright, the suspects had entered an unlocked garage and stole a laptop, the purse, and some items from the car parked inside, including an iPod.

A woman and her two daughters were home at the time, and the door between the garage and the home was also unlocked.

Most of the items were recovered, however police are still looking for the Del brand laptop, as well as a coin/ash tray from a green Toyota Sequoia.

“We are assuming they threw them away somewhere during the pursuit,” Det. Albright said.

Anyone who finds the missing items is asked to contact Sammamish Police at Sammamish City Hall, or by phoning 425-295-0770.

Det. Albright said he did not believe the at-large suspect was especially dangerous.