Driver hits road crew flagger on Carpenter Road, crashes into another car on Mullen Road
A 36-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of multiple crimes Tuesday morning after police say he fled from them, hit a flagger on Carpenter Road, then crashed into another vehicle on Mullen Road.
By the end, the suspect vehicle, an Acura sedan, wound up on its top, Lacey police Sgt. Jeremy Knight said. The incident started in unincorporated Thurston County, but ended in the City of Lacey.
About 10 a.m. Tuesday, a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy saw the suspect run a red light near Marvin and Steilacoom roads and attempted a traffic stop.
The driver drove off with the deputy following him, but the deputy terminated the pursuit because a traffic violation is not a pursuable offense, Sheriff’s Lt. Cameron Simper said.
The deputy lost sight of the driver near Pacific Avenue and Kinwood Street, he said.
The suspect then headed south and hit a road crew flagger in the 1200 block of Carpenter Road, Knight said. The suspect continued south on Carpenter, then turned west onto Mullen Road. The driver eventually crashed into another vehicle near the intersection with Ruddell Road. The woman in that car was not hurt, Knight said.
The 36-year-old suspect was arrested on suspicion of impaired driving, hit and run, and vehicular assault, Knight said. Simper said the Sheriff’s Office also will refer a charge of eluding police to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office.
The status of the flagger was not immediately known.
This story was originally published August 8, 2023 at 11:49 AM.
