Chehalis police are searching for a male suspect accused of assaulting a woman and trying to force her into a vehicle near railroad tracks in Chehalis on Saturday after Railfan viewers witnessed the assault online and reported it.
The Railfan camera, which has been located at the Lewis County Historical Museum in Chehalis for five years, provides a free live stream on YouTube of the Prindle Street railroad crossing for train watching enthusiasts across the world.
At approximately 4:17 p.m. on Feb. 8, the Railfan camera captured footage of a male subject trying to put a possibly injured female into a white vehicle at the intersection of Northwest State Avenue and Northwest Prindle Street, according to call logs from the Chehalis Police Department.
The male subject fled the scene in the vehicle at approximately 4:18 p.m., according to call logs, which indicate he eluded police and fled south on Interstate 5 towards Camas.
He was last seen on Southbound Interstate 5 at Exit 72 in Napavine. His vehicle’s information has been uploaded to the Flock Safety camera system, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
The victim was treated at the scene for non-life threatening injuries, according to the Chehalis Police Department.
Over 100 Railfan viewers witnessed the assault, according to train enthusiast and former West Thurston Regional Fire Authority Chief Robert Scott.
The footage has been provided to the Chehalis Police Department for their investigation, Scott said.
“We want to thank our viewers for supporting and watching our railroad operations in Chehalis!” Scott said in an email to The Chronicle.
See the live Railfan feed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacIsiIYWm0
