Pickup driver rams deputy and recruit during chase

Two deputies were rushed to a hospital following a dangerous pursuit involving local law enforcement agencies in the early hours of January 26, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) reported in their social media post.

The incident began at 01:27 AM when a deputy attempted to stop a black 2005 Ford F350 for lane travel and suspicion of DUI on Martin Way E.

Instead of stopping, the suspect fled, which made the deputy call dispatch and relay the vehicle's plate, which came back to a white 1992 Honda sedan, prompting the deputy to chase after the fleeing vehicle.

The suspect continued to evade law enforcement, heading northbound on I5, leading to a pursuit initiated for DUI.

Sheriff Derek Sanders and other deputies joined the chase when the suspect vehicle fled through Lacey and down Ruddell Road.

A deputy successfully executed a precision immobilization technique (PIT) maneuver on the suspect at Ruddell and Yelm Highway.

“The truck then rammed another deputy and their recruit, sending both deputies to the hospital by ambulance,” TCSO stated.

The pursuit continued through Lacey, witnessing multiple PIT maneuvers, making the truck lose a tire and prompting Sanders to request the next incoming county unit with an F150 to intervene and disable the suspect's vehicle.

The suspect even drove onto Capitol City Golf Course, where deputies momentarily terminated the chase before resuming when the truck was located fleeing south on Rainier Rd.

“At Waldrick Road and Old Highway 99, a TCSO Sargeant in an F150 conducted a PIT and a Tactical Vehicle Intervention and pushed the truck into a field,” TCSO reported.

Despite this, the suspect managed to break through a fence back onto Old Hwy 99, finally ending halfway through Tenino, where the suspect's vehicle transmission failed.

With the assistance of K9 Bowie, law enforcement successfully arrested the driver without further incident.

The suspect is now in custody, facing charges that include drug DUI, two counts of first-degree assault with a deadly weapon on law enforcement, multiple counts of first-degree malicious mischief, and attempting to elude.

The Superior Court set the suspect’s bail at $150,000 with these multiple charges.

One deputy has been cleared from the hospital, while the other is still undergoing treatment for more serious injuries.