Driver crashes into tree; gets arrested after high-speed chase through Nisqually Tribe Friday

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. — Multiple units with several law enforcement departments chased a driver and stopped him using a high-speed pit maneuver after he refused to pull over during a traffic stop in Thurston County early Friday.

According to a post from a sheriff with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, early Friday, officers with the Yelm Police Department tried to stop a car for altered tabs. When they signaled the driver to pull over, the driver refused and sped off. The driver sped through the Nisqually Indian Tribe at speeds nearing 100 mph. The driver struck at least one other car and continued to speed away from police.

Officers with the Nisqually Tribal Police joined the chase and spiked the driver’s car tires, causing two of the tires to fall off during the pursuit. But the driver continued to speed off and away from police. When the pursuit reached the City of Lacey, there was heavier traffic. That’s when deputies with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office joined the chase and conducted a high-speed PIT maneuver to stop the driver.

Deputies used the maneuver to prevent a more serious accident from happening in the city and killing someone, according to the office. The maneuver caused the driver to crash into a tree.

Deputies provided the driver with first-aid until paramedics arrived at the scene. When medics arrived, the driver was taken to a local hospital for treatment and then face an arrest.

When law enforcement searched the driver’s car, they found multiple guns inside, one of which police believed was stolen from Lacey in 2013. When they walked around the crash scene, they found another gun that had been thrown from the car during impact.

After treatment at the hospital, the driver was booked on multiple counts of attempting to elude, possession of a stolen gun and first-degree driving with a suspended - revoked license and a hit-and-run.

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