Police still seeking man who ran from traffic stop in the Heights

Vancouver police on Tuesday were continuing to seek a man who fled from a stolen car during a traffic stop and escaped late Monday night near Lieser Road and Mill Plain Boulevard.

The incident surfaced at about 10:15 p.m. Monday, when an officer radioed that he was in a foot chase with someone near the former Lieser Elementary School, and that the man had a good head start.

The officer asked for a K-9 team and said the man ran through a gate at the school onto Northgate Avenue, heading east.

Officers took positions along Mill Plain at 87th and 92nd avenues, in the McLoughlin Heights area south of Southwest Washington Medical Center.

At 11:30 p.m. Monday, officers were still looking for the suspect.

Tuesday night, Vancouver police Sgt. Jay Alie said officers hadn’t yet arrested the man, but the case is under active investigation. When officers checked the car’s registration, they learned that it had been stolen in Clark County, but the owner hadn’t yet realized it was missing or reported the theft.

During Monday night’s search, high winds and rain had made it difficult for the tracking dog to sniff out the man’s trail, Alie said.

John Branton: 735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.