Man dies of ‘medical event’ after chase that ends in Tumwater
A 36-year-old man died of a medical event following a police chase that ended in Tumwater Monday evening.
The man, who the Thurston County Coroner’s Office identified as Charles M. Taylor Jr., was reportedly cornered by at least three patrons of a local business before being taken into police custody and suffering a medical emergency that led to his death.
According to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, the pursuit began about 5:20 p.m. Monday when a deputy saw an “erratically driven vehicle” headed north on Interstate 5 near milepost 77 in Chehalis and unsuccessfully tried to stop it.
The chase that ensued included a Washington State Patrol Trooper who attempted to “deploy a tire deflation device,” which didn’t work because of “the erratic operation of the suspect vehicle.”
The chase ultimately ended in Tumwater, where the man’s vehicle struck a retaining wall near the intersection of Deschutes Way and E Street. That’s when, according to the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect ran to a local business and its parking lot.
Patrons of the business cornered the man in the parking lot until a Lewis County Sheriff’s deputy took him into custody, reportedly without incident. However, the man ultimately didn’t survive the night.
“As the deputy was walking the suspect back to other awaiting patrol vehicles, the suspect appeared to suffer a medical event,” a news release from the Sheriff’s office reads. Despite the man receiving immediate aid, the release states he later died at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia.
The man’s last known address is in Seattle; a passenger in the car, a 43-year-old female from Shoreline, was interviewed before being released at the scene.
The incident is now under investigation by the Region 3 Critical Incident Investigation Team. Thurston County Coroner Gary Warnock said an autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday morning.
This story was originally published July 2, 2019 at 9:51 AM.
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