Pursuit into Tacoma ends with trooper shooting at driver

A high-speed police chase ended early today on state Route 16 in Tacoma after a Washington State Patrol trooper fired at a driver who rammed his patrol car, an agency spokesman said.

The incident ended shortly after midnight at Interstate 5 and state Route 16, and closed Route 16.

The trooper was not injured, said State Patrol spokesman Guy Gill.

He gave this account:

The chase started near the King County line and proceeded south on I-5 into Tacoma.

The trooper was trying to overtake a motorist who was driving erratically and traveling up to 130 miles per hour.

The driver is believed to have lost control and crashed on I-5 near Bay Street and the trooper stopped as well. The other driver then began ramming the patrol car as the trooper was getting out.

Fearing for his life, the trooper fired at the other driver, possibly wounding him in the wrist.

The driver took off again, traveling south on I-5 to state Route 16, where the car spun into a barrier at the on-ramp, either because the driver lost control or because the trooper was able to force the car into a spin.

The trooper then took the driver into custody without further incident.

The driver suffered an injury to his wrist. Officials were unable to immediately determine whether that was from the crash into the barrier or from the officer's shot.

The man, a 23-year-old from University Place, was taken to St. Joseph's Medical Center for treatment. The trooper also was checked out, and has since been released from the hospital.

State Route 16 is closed at this time but expected to reopen shortly.