Suspect in stolen car hits 115 mph during Thurston County chase

Bail was set at $50,000 Monday for a man accused of leading law enforcement on a chase through Thurston County in a stolen car.

Alexander Carlson, 32, appeared in Thurston County Superior Court on counts of attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, possession of a stolen motor vehicle, reckless endangerment and violation of a domestic violence no-contact order. Arraignment was set for Sept. 6.

Court documents give the following account:

Just before 11 p.m. Sunday, a Nisqually tribal officer attempted to stop a red sedan that had turned north onto Peter Kalama Drive Southeast from Yelm Highway and had pulled into an oncoming lane at about 45 mph.

The officer pursued the vehicle, which at one point reached a speed of about 115 mph on Reservation Road before turning east onto Old Pacific Highway. The vehicle also crossed into oncoming lanes of traffic several times during the pursuit.

The pursuit continued on southbound Interstate 5 with the vehicle reaching about 100 mph. The Nisqually officer called Washington State Patrol for backup. Spikes were deployed near the exit of Sleater-Kinney Road. The suspect — later identified as Carlson — was captured after a foot pursuit near the Capitol Way exit.

Upon his arrest, Carlson allegedly recognized the Nisqually officer from a previous encounter and said, “I thought if I made it home, I would be free.” Carlson said he had been living out of the stolen car and that he had consumed methamphetamine earlier that day.

State troopers determined the vehicle had been stolen from the Tulalip Reservation and that Carlson had multiple warrants for his arrest from the Department of Corrections, Thurston County and the city of Lacey. Carlson also was found in violation of a no-contact order, related to the passenger in the vehicle at the time of his arrest.

At Monday’s court hearing, Deputy Prosecutor Rosemary Hewitson said Carlson has seven active warrants and that his criminal history includes 37 total cases.

“These allegations are alarming, to say the least,” Judge James Dixon said.

This story was originally published August 22, 2016 at 5:35 PM with the headline "Suspect in stolen car hits 115 mph during Thurston County chase."