Police searching for Shelton man who shot at Mason County deputy

Mason County officials are looking for a person who fired shots at a deputy during a high-speed chase.

They have identified the man as 27-year-old Joshua Weythman Baker of Shelton. The Mason County sheriff’s office advises people to call 911 if they see Baker because he is considered armed and dangerous.

Joshua Wethman Baker is described as a white man who is 6 feet tall and 200 pounds. He has blond hair and blue eyes.

The deputy was not injured when he was shot at during a chase about 11 p.m. Thursday in the Agate area on Highway 3 east of Shelton. The deputy had tried to pull over the suspect’s vehicle, which was going about 40 mph above the speed limit, but the driver refused and took off.

According to the sheriff’s office, the driver fired multiple shots at the deputy before eventually bailing out of the car and taking off on foot with the gun and a female passenger.

Baker has two felony warrants for escape from DOC Community Custody and for possession of a stolen firearm.

Two tracking K-9s and the King County Sheriff’s Office Guardian 1 helicopter assisted with the search, but the suspect was not apprehended.

The Region 3 Critical Incident Response Team, led by the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, is investigating the incident, which is standard procedure in all officer-involved shootings.

Agencies investigating include the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office, King County Sheriff’s Office, Washington State Patrol, Shelton Police Department, Squaxin Police Department and the Mason County Sheriff’s Office.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 8:09 AM with the headline "Police searching for Shelton man who shot at Mason County deputy."