Thurston deputies chase man toward barbed wire fence. Here’s what happened next

A 22-year-old man wound up upside down in a barbed wire fence last week after he ran from deputies, according to Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders.

The man was booked on suspicion of multiple crimes, including driving under the influence, said Sanders in a social media post.

The morning of Oct. 11, a deputy working in the Grand Mound area attempted to stop a recklessly driven vehicle on Old Highway 99. The driver drove away from the deputy at 120 miles per hour, Sanders said.

The driver then tried to go the wrong way down I-5, but crashed into a ditch and ran away from the scene, he said.

“A 300-yard foot pursuit ensued across all lanes of I-5 when another deputy joined in,” Sanders said.

The man eventually was stopped by what Sanders said was a well-placed barbed wire fence.

The suspect, who Sanders said was heavily intoxicated, ultimately vomited all over the deputy’s pants and boots and the back seat of a patrol car.

After the man was cleared by a hospital, he was arrested on suspicion of DUI, driving with a suspended license, obstructing law enforcement, reckless endangerment and eluding police, jail log information shows.

This story was originally published October 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM.