Fleeing driver hits 3 vehicles -- 2 that belong to WSP -- before getting caught
A two-part chase that began when Washington State Patrol clocked a Cadillac going 110 miles per hour on northbound Interstate 5 Friday afternoon ended with three collisions — two with State Patrol vehicles.
The chase began when a trooper stopped the Cadillac on I-5 near Maytown about 1:40 p.m. Friday, Trooper Johnna Batiste told The Olympian.
When the trooper stepped off their motorcycle, the Cadillac took off — but not before the trooper recorded the car’s license plate number.
Other troopers headed to the registered owner’s house, saw the vehicle, and tried to make contact. But the car then drove off again, according to Batiste, and another chase began.
The sequence of events after that was unclear, Batiste said, but three collisions occurred: The Cadillac collided with a sergeant in a State Patrol vehicle near U.S. 12 at I-5, collided with another trooper at Old Highway 9 and Old Highway 99, and with a van at that same location, Batiste said.
The sergeant was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia with non-serious injuries, the other trooper sustained minor injuries, and there were no injuries involved in the collision with the van, according to Batiste.
The man fought the troopers who eventually took him into custody about 2:30 p.m. after the chase ended near State Route 12 and Elderberry Street Southwest in Grand Mound. Batiste tweeted Friday that the man was arrested on suspicion of DUI and driving on a suspended license.
During the chase, Batiste said, speeds varied from 25 miles per hour to 100 miles per hour.
Washington State Department of Transportation’s Tacoma Traffic account tweeted that police activity was causing delays on U.S. 12 both directions beginning at 2:35 p.m.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 5:11 PM.
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