Driver flees deputies by driving north in southbound lanes of I-5
A 21-year-old Thurston County man led police on a high-speed pursuit Monday morning that finally ended in the southbound lanes of I-5, according to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office.
The man was booked on suspicion of eluding police and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
About 12:50 a.m. Monday, the man and his female passenger were stopped by a Sheriff’s deputy in the 500 block of Carpenter Road Southeast because of suspicious license information, Lt. Ray Brady said.
Before the deputy could investigate, the driver took off and turned north onto Martin Way East. The pursuit hit speeds of 90-120 miles per hour on Martin Way, Brady said.
The chase continued down Martin Way and into the Nisqually Valley, but the pursuit was terminated once the driver headed north in the southbound lanes of I-5, Brady said.
The suspect eventually crashed into a guardrail near Exit 116, and the man and woman got out and fled. Both were found, including the man who was standing in thigh deep water, and taken into custody with the help of other law enforcement agencies, Brady said.
The man also was wanted on a state Department of Corrections warrant.
