Thurston County sheriff responds to string of injuries, fatalities following pursuits
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders went to Facebook Saturday to respond to the fatal collision that happened Nov. 14 in Tumwater after a deputy initiated a traffic stop for a reckless driver.
Sanders said he was heartbroken for the victim’s family. He also said there is a complete lack of traffic enforcement in the county.
“Last night, tragedy struck again,” Sanders said. “A TCSO deputy attempted to stop a recklessly driven Dodge Charger, who instead of pulling over, fled at speeds well over 100 mph.”
Sanders said the deputy attempted to get the vehicle stopped, but he was driving so recklessly that the deputy couldn’t get close enough to conduct a PIT maneuver or obtain a license plate number.
“As the deputy rounded the corner approaching Capitol Boulevard, they discovered a horrific crash scene. The fleeing driver ran a red light at speeds of approximately 100 mph and T-boned an innocent motorist,” he said.
“Deputies captured the suspect and rendered aid to the victim, who passed away. When I arrived at the scene, I observed the victim’s vehicle with two empty car seats in the back. I’m absolutely sick to my stomach, and can’t begin to fathom the impact to the family and friends of the deceased.”
He said the driver, a 30-year-old Winlock man, said he fled because he received a number of speeding tickets recently and was going to have his license suspended if he kept it up.
“This was the reason the driver chose to flee and kill another motorist,” Sanders said. “The possibility of losing his license, while continuing to drive in a manner, before police ever made contact, that explicitly shows why he shouldn’t have a license to begin with.”
Sanders said groups like the Coalition for Police Accountability have blamed TCSO for this fatal crash.
It is one of five incidents this year that have resulted in a death or injury. The other four are:
- One person died and two others were injured after a woman fled a pursuit on Sept. 7.
- A motorcyclist died following a pursuit Sept. 20.
- Three people were injured following a pursuit on Sept. 24.
- Two deputies were injured during a pursuit in January.
Sanders said the Coalition for Police Accountability is the same organization that was directly responsible for initially passing the no chase laws in 2021, which led to unprecedented increases of non-pursuit-related fatal crashes, stolen cars, and other serious crimes.
“These critics have the audacity to assert that allowing police to pursue will result in bad things happening after making things worse than they’ve ever been,” he said.
Sanders said there’s room to discuss tactics and alternatives, which TCSO has sought out. He said the issue is the group doesn’t want pursuits to occur, and he said they offer no alternatives to curbing the crimes and crashes.
He said any solutions the group has offered have been rooted in a lack of understanding of the problems the department faces.
Sanders referenced a number of collisions from the past week that have happened around the region. He said a reckless driver attempted to flee WSP and swallowed fentanyl to try and avoid arrest. WSP also handled a five-car collision in Lacey within the same 24 hours.
All in the same day, he said TCSO responded to hit-and-run collision on Martin Way, a vehicle fleeing Yelm Police after a theft that crashed, and a driver crossing the median and crashing into a Nisqually Tribal officer head on.
A week prior, a vehicle fleeing a traffic stop in Everett wasn’t pursued, and he kept driving recklessly. He crashed into five pedestrians, killing three people.
“I get it. I’m the loud Sheriff who will not shut up about the road safety crisis and the fallout of the no-chase laws,” he said. “I won’t pretend to know exactly what the societal root causes of this are.”
He questioned whether it’s too easy to get a license in Washington, and if it’s too difficult to take a license away. And once a license is taken away, are drivers who continue to drive being held accountable appropriately?
“Is it just a toxic culture of lawlessness? Is it a value of life issue, where people in our community simply don’t care about placing their fellow community members at risk?” he said.
Sanders said the day he gives up and tells deputies that they’re the problem while reckless and impaired drivers kill and injure others at staggering rates will be the day he steps down from office.
“I don’t have any interest in waiting for other areas of government to fix this problem for us,” he said. “Our job is to do our best for our citizens regardless of how we feel about problems outside of our control.
“This issue is complex, but I know deep down we’ll never have safer roads by taking the advice of letting reckless drivers and criminals do what they want unopposed.
“The number one complaint I take from citizens across our county isn’t police misconduct, vehicle pursuits, or that we have cops in schools,” he said. “It’s traffic safety and a complete lack of traffic enforcement ...”
Go Fund Me set up for family of man killed
A Go Fund Me campaign has been launched for the family of the Olympia man who was killed in Thursday night’s crash, Dane A. Nielsen, 33.
As of Tuesday, nearly $15,000 of a $50,000 goal has been raised, according to the fundraising site.
“Hey guys, one of my best friends really needs some love and support. Her and her two kiddos unexpectedly lost their dad to a tragic accident...,” the campaign reads. “Harlow and her kids are the most beautiful and kind family and deserve every ounce of support and kindness.”
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 12:45 PM.
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