Tenino police and the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) teamed up to capture a man suspected of stealing a car in Olympia before fleeing across the county on Friday, April 3.
In a Facebook post, Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said the suspect has been convicted of 19 crimes and had an active escape warrant at the time of his arrest.
Sanders said the suspect had stolen a Honda Civic on the westside of Olympia and fled the area during their Friday shift. A Tenino officer located the stolen car “a short time later.”
The driver “refused to pull over,” however, and the officer began a pursuit toward Tumwater.
Sanders said police were able to spike the car’s tires after unsuccessful grappler attempts.
At first, the suspect pulled over, only to flee again, Sanders said.
“A TCSO deputy conducted a successful PIT maneuver, and this time deputies didn’t take any chances and forcefully extracted the suspect from the stolen car to stop him from fleeing into the more heavily populated Tumwater area,” Sanders said.
According to Sanders, the unnamed suspect has prior convictions for possession of stolen property, attempting to elude a police vehicle, property damage, burglary, possession of a stolen vehicle, assault on law enforcement, unlawful possession of a firearm, robbery, second-degree assault and intimidating a witness.
“Tonight, he is back on his way to jail for auto theft, attempt to elude, DUI, and driving on a suspended license,” Sanders said.
The sheriff thanked the Olympia Police Department, TCSO, Washington State Patrol and the Tenino Police Department for getting a “dangerous individual safely into custody again.”
