A man was jailed June 10 after striking a woman with his van in a Junction alley after she allegedly called him a racially charged name.

The 38-year-old Stanwood woman was in the alley between California and 42nd avenues with a friend at about 7:36 p.m. when the man drove his Ford Windstar fast down the alley toward the woman. He drove by, stopped and backed up to where she was standing. The man yelled at her and sped off, then made a U-turn and came at her again. This time he jammed on the brakes but the van's bumper hit the woman in the right knee.

The man told Seattle Police the woman called him a racial name and scratched his van with her car keys. Two witnesses with the man also said the woman made the bigoted accusation.

Police officers found no scratches where the man said they were.

The man also claimed to have been driving 5 mph in the alley.

The man, a 35-year-old Central District resident, was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault.

Three young men tried to steal a bag of police equipment from the backseat of a patrol car during the investigation of a pit bull terrier attack June 7 afternoon in the 3000 block of Southwest 106th Street.

Seattle Police were called to a house by witnesses who reported a pit bull was mauling a 13-year-old girl at 3:51 p.m. When officers arrived, the severely bitten girl was inside a parked vehicle and the dog was growling and pacing around the vehicle. Officers shocked the dog with a taser.

By this time, a large crowd had gathered and three TV news helicopters were hovering overhead and reporters were on site.

The three suspects were driving by together and stopped to watch the action. They walked over and leaned against a police patrol car. An officer told the men to get off the car and apparently that made the men angry.

One of the men swiped a bag from the backseat of the patrol car and stashed it in a nearby bush. The bag contained a helmet, gas mask, cameras, 20 boxes of film, crowd-control spray and other items. The men planned to return later to retrieve the bag.

When the men came back later in the evening, all but one officer had left. But onlookers recognized the men and alerted the remaining officer. Realizing they'd been spotted, the men drove off in a hurry and the officer followed in his patrol car.

The chase ended where the men live, in the 10700 block of 34th Avenue Southwest. A 25-year-old man was interviewed and released but the other two men, ages 25 and 19, escaped on foot.

Meanwhile the girl went to the hospital with superficial bites on both arms and her right thigh.

Animal Control placed the dog on quarantine.