Law enforcement use pepper balls, block I-5 after Thurston County chase
Troopers arrested a 34-year-old Kent driver after a pursuit on Interstate 5 in east Thurston County early Thursday morning.
The pursuit started at about 12:27 a.m. at northbound I-5 milepost 110 and ended about two minutes later just past milepost 114 near the Nisqually River, Trooper Kameron Watts told The Olympian.
A trooper stopped the driver for allegedly speeding at 83 miles per hour in a 60-miles-per-hour zone, Watts said. During the stop, the trooper determined the driver was not impaired but learned he had a warrant for driving under the influence out of Seattle. A short struggle ensued, the driver broke away, then got back into his vehicle and drove off, he said.
“A successful PIT maneuver was conducted at around 50 miles an hour,” Watts said. “The vehicle came to rest, blocking the left lanes of the highway.”
Multiple troopers, as well as Lacey Police Department officers and Sheriff’s Office deputies, responded to assist. Law enforcement blocked all traffic on the highway for a short time as they commanded the driver to exit the vehicle.
Among them was Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders. In a Facebook post, Sanders said a passenger exited the vehicle, and the driver closed the door behind them. Lacey police deployed a drone and allegedly observed the driver attempting to restart the car.
Law enforcement then fired 40-millimeter pepper balls into the vehicle.
“The suspect lasted about 15 seconds once the spice was introduced, at which point he surrendered and was taken into custody,” Sanders said in his post.
A husky was inside the vehicle as well. Sanders said the dog was friendly and not harmed.
Sanders attached a still image from body camera footage to his post. The image shows multiple law enforcement officers, including the Sheriff’s Office K9 Asher, approaching the driver as he is lying prone next to his vehicle.
A dog can be seen a couple yards away standing in the middle of the road.
Watts confirmed Sanders’ account. However, he could not confirm whether the dog was still inside the vehicle when the pepper balls were used.
No one involved in the pursuit and subsequent arrest suffered any injuries, Watts said.
“Luckily, no other vehicles were involved,” Watts said. “It was a low-traffic time frame of the night, so a lot of this was done without anyone being hurt.”
After detaining the driver, troopers moved the vehicle to the right shoulder, and the highway was only partially blocked, Watts said. In all, the incident only affected traffic for about 30 minutes, he said.
Troopers later booked the driver into the Thurston County jail on suspicion of felony eluding, reckless endangerment, resisting arrest, assault and driving while license suspended, Watts said. He was also booked on the Seattle warrant, he added.
Meanwhile, a trooper transported the passenger and the dog to a safe place in Tacoma, Watts said.
