He crashed a semi onto JBLM and was nearly hit by a plane on his quest for 'better dope'

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — He barreled through the wrong fence, thought he was being chased by paratroopers falling from the sky and nearly got hit by a plane.

It all started, the man later told Pierce County sheriff's deputies, when his search for "better dope" hit trouble early Tuesday when he ran out of gas.

And it probably seemed fortuitous at the time that someone had left the keys in an empty semi nearby.

But not so luckily, he had trouble with the truck’s brakes, and allegedly crashed through multiple fences — including one that surrounded what he thought was an airport.

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Unfortunately for him, it actually was Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

This is how the man's exploits unfolded, according the Sheriff's Department:

He wasn't happy with the drugs he had in Olympia, and decided to head north to find better.

But on the way to Tacoma his car ran out of gas on the ramp from South 84th Street to Interstate 5.

He started walking, and found an open gate at the Bates Technical College South Campus truck yard. Inside, he found the unlocked semi with a key.

He’d never driven a semi before, but decided to give it a go.

It was around Steele Street that he noticed the brakes were going out, so he turned onto Spanaway Loop Road, then onto 138th Street South to try to slow the truck.

By that time, the brakes weren't working at all. So he decided to cut the speed by running into everything he possibly could.

That amounted to three, possible four residential fences, and ultimately the one around JBLM.

One of the homeowners whose fences were destroyed called the Sheriff's Department, and deputies arrived to find semi tracks, and a trail of leaking fluids.

That led them to the hole the truck left in one of the JBLM fence's gates, and to the semi itself.

The man's wallet and license were on the seat, but he wasn't there.

Military police later found him trying to get into a locked fuel depot building, which is when he recounted his near miss with the plane.

He said he’d realized he left his wallet in the semi, and became paranoid that police were going to be looking for him.

He decided to cross an airstrip to get to some buildings, where he though he'd have a better chance of getting away.

In the process he hid, because he saw four descending paratroopers and thought they were searching for him.

Then he continued across the runway, and was almost hit by a plane.

It apparently was an active runway that had C17 airplanes landing and taking off as part of an exercise, deputies learned.

They found out the man had a warrant out of Idaho for eluding police, assault, violating a no-contact order, theft and burglary.

He admitted being on methamphetamine and was booked into the Pierce County Jail on suspicion of vehicle theft and malicious mischief.

And for allegedly driving with a suspended license.

KIRO