A Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) deputy stopped and captured drivers in two separate pursuits within about 30 minutes on Monday night.
The first incident involved a vehicle involved in a theft that fled from Olympia Police Department officers onto northbound Interstate 5 at a high rate of speed.
Olympia officers were able to keep eyes on the vehicle long enough for a deputy with a grappler to catch up, according to Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders.
The grappler was deployed, bringing the suspect vehicle to a safe stop with no injuries.
The two occupants of the vehicle, who were not identified by law enforcement on Tuesday, reportedly had active warrants out for their arrest for crimes ranging from theft to assault. They were both turned over to the Olympia Police Department for booking.
About 31 minutes after the grappler was deployed, Thurston County K9 Igo and handler Sgt. Bagby reportedly observed a BMW with no plates driving recklessly. When Bagby attempted to stop the car, it ran a red light and fled at speeds over 150mph as Bagby began to lose sight of the car.
“Quite incredibly, the deputy who just deployed the grappler on the previous incident was able to spike the fleeing car on I5 despite the car traveling approximately 150mph,” Sanders said in a social media post on Tuesday, noting that the deputy did so without spiking any other cars on I-5 or pursuing units.
The driver came to a stop and surrendered before being taken into custody, according to Sanders.
The driver had a second-degree suspended license and allegedly admitted to seeing K9 Igo parked across the street before taking their plates off the car, doing donuts, drifting out of the parking lot and fleeing, according to Sanders. .
The driver, who has not been identified by law enforcement, was booked into jail and the vehicle was seized.
