A high-speed pursuit along Interstate 5 ended with the arrest of a suspect accused of stealing a van by force outside a convenience store in Tumwater.
According to the Tumwater Police Department (TPD), officers spotted a white van speeding out of the 7-Eleven parking lot on Capitol Boulevard shortly after 6:30 p.m on May 26.
A couple in their 50s said the suspect had forcibly removed the keys to their van.
The female victim stated “the male (the suspect) had pushed her out of the passenger seat and in doing so she fell and injured her hip,” while the male victim stated, ”the suspect left with his van and he was almost run over by it.”
Witnesses at the scene reported that a man with long curly hair and wearing all black had forcibly taken the van from a couple in the lot, threatening to shoot them before driving off at high speed.
One witness told police they heard someone yell, “I’ll shoot!” during the confrontation. Closed circuit television footage of the incident confirmed the statements of the victims and witnesses.
As officers attempted to pull the van over, the driver reportedly refused to stop and accelerated, weaving through traffic on Capitol Boulevard and later entering I-5 northbound.
Multiple agencies, including the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, Olympia Police Department and Washington State Patrol, joined the pursuit as speeds reached over 100 miles per hour.
At one point, the suspect struck a vehicle towing an ATV trailer near milepost 120, causing it to flip and block all lanes. Despite the crash, the suspect continued briefly until the damaged van was surrounded and brought to a stop.
The suspect, identified as Kalin W. Laing, was resistant to surrendering, resulting of the deployment of a police K-9.
Authorities say the 47-year-old suspect was wearing a hospital bracelet and was allegedly the same individual involved in an earlier robbery and vehicle theft incident at St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.
Laing was transported to a hospital for evaluation before being booked into Thurston County Corrections Facility.
He faces multiple charges, including first-degree robbery, second-degree robbery, theft of a motor vehicle, eluding a police vehicle, felony hit-and-run and fourth-degree assault.
Authorities said there was damage to some police cars, but no officers were injured in the pursuit.
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TheVirtualOne
The first question I have is this. Will the guy be let go and out on the streets in a week or will the courts actually enforce the laws and put this guy away where he can no longer harm anyone.
Friday, June 6 Report this
ddttwo2
Come on VirtualOne this is BLUE WA. he'll be out in less than 1 day... bastards!
Friday, June 6 Report this
JustSaying
As of Friday evening, Laing is still being held at the Thurston County Jail.
Friday, June 6 Report this