Bail set at $10,000 for transient in Thurston County chase

Bail was set at $10,000 Monday for a man who led Thurston County authorities on a wild chase over the weekend.

David Alejandro Vasquez-Quijas, 20, appeared in Thurston County Superior Court on one count of eluding police and one count of third-degree assault. Arraignment was set for Feb. 23.

Vasquez-Quijas and a 16-year-old girl were arrested in the early morning hours Saturday. Both are transients.

About 1 a.m. Saturday, a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy encountered a suspicious 1998 Ford Explorer that was parked at a convenience store in the Grand Mound area. The occupants in the Explorer drove away, leading the deputy on a chase on northbound Interstate 5 that reached 95 mph.

The pursuit took them from Grand Mound into downtown Olympia, back through Tumwater and down Old Highway 99 to Tenino.

During the pursuit, the occupants in the Explorer started throwing objects out the window including tools, tires and a pellet gun, according to the sheriff’s office. The items caused about $3,000 in damage to the deputy’s vehicle.

The Explorer was stopped in the Grand Mound area after a Washington State Patrol trooper deployed spike strips. It was one of four attempts to stop the suspects with spike strips, according to Judge James Dixon.

The two suspects were arrested with help from a Tumwater Police Department K-9 unit.

At Monday’s hearing, deputy prosecutor Cailen Wevodau said Vasquez-Quijas had no prior criminal history.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 4:30 PM with the headline "Bail set at $10,000 for transient in Thurston County chase."