Assault suspect arrested after fighting Thurston County deputies in puddle of cow dung

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — An attack, chase, and a messy fight in a cattle field ended in an arrest by Thurston County deputies Sunday night.

Deputies were dispatched to Waddell Creek Road Southwest for a report of car theft in progress. The caller said someone in a utility truck was on his property trying to steal his car, and the suspect had rammed his car before running him over, according to deputies.

Luckily, the man only had minor injuries and was treated and released at the scene.

A deputy found the suspect’s utility truck and started a chase for suspicion of second-degree assault. The slow-speed pursuit lasted about 20 minutes before Chehalis Tribal Police helped by putting out spike strips, which flattened some of the truck’s tires.

The suspect drove through a home’s backyard, abandoned the truck, and ran into a cattle field, where things got dirty.

Deputies ran across the field and over barbed wire fences to catch the suspect, who they shocked with a stun gun.

“The suspect then fought with deputies in a thick, brown puddle. We have confirmed this puddle was cow dung,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.

The suspect was arrested for second-degree assault, hit-and-run, attempted auto theft and attempting to elude a police vehicle.

The Facebook post confirmed that deputies then worked on switching out their boots.

©2023 Cox Media Group