Deputy Dies From Crash Injuries

A 38-year-old King County Sheriff's deputy whose motorcycle crashed into the back of a car Thursday in Shoreline died yesterday from his injuries.

Mark Brown, an officer since 1988, died at Harborview Medical Center at 7:25 a.m., said a hospital nursing supervisor. He suffered serious head injuries, along with internal injuries, said hospital spokesman Larry Zalin.

An autopsy is planned for tomorrow, according to the King County Medical Examiner's Office.

Mr. Brown is survived by his wife, Laurie, and two children, a 9-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. The family lives in the Bothell area.

His brother, Mike Brown, is a detective in the department and driver for King County Executive Ron Sims.

King County Sheriff Dave Reichert, who was attending the National Sheriffs' Conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, flew back and went directly to the hospital to see Mr. Brown. He was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Thursday's crash occurred about 9:30 a.m., when Mr. Brown was on an emergency call to a holdup alarm at a Shoreline credit union. The alarm turned out to be false, said Sheriff's Office spokesman John Urquhart.

Alarm likely accidental

The alarm at Postal Employees Credit Union was most likely accidentally tripped by a bank employee, Urquhart said.

"Ninety-nine percent of the time in a false alarm, someone accidentally hit the silent alarm," Urquhart said.

Mr. Brown's emergency lights and siren were on when he struck

the rear of a vehicle on 15th Avenue Northeast near Northeast 177th Street, Urquhart said. He was wearing his helmet.

The driver of the other car, who officials described as a man in his 40s, was not hurt, Urquhart said. It was unclear how fast either driver was going, Urquhart said.

Both vehicles were being inspected this weekend to see if there were any mechanical problems with them, Urquhart said. Witnesses have been questioned.

Other details of the accident are under investigation and were not being released, Urquhart said.

"We know that his motorcycle hit the back of the vehicle, but we don't know why," Urquhart said. "We don't know what happened immediately before the collision, and that's the focus of our investigation."

Officer was longtime resident

Mr. Brown grew up in the Shoreline area and graduated from Shorewood High School. After his police-academy training, Mr. Brown worked first at the Burien precinct, then as a detective with the gang unit. He became a Shoreline motorcycle officer about two years ago, Urquhart said.

Mr. Brown's family was in mourning and did not wish to speak yesterday, Urquhart said.

"They're coping," Urquhart said. "It's real tough."

Mr. Brown is one of several King County deputies working as a Shoreline officer. Shoreline contracts with King County for police services.

The last King County sheriff's deputy to be killed in the line of duty was Richard Cochran. Cochran, 31, of Bothell, died May 22, 1991, when his motorcycle was pinned between a Snohomish County Community Transit bus and a van in a rush-hour accident on Interstate 5 near Northgate.

Before Cochran, a county officer was killed in 1984 while on duty.

A memorial for Mr. Brown has been scheduled for Wednesday at 1 p.m. at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, Urquhart said. The service is open to the public.

A memorial fund has also been set up for Mr. Brown's family. People wishing to make donations can do so with the "Mark Brown Memorial Fund" at any Washington Mutual branch bank.