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| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Apr 13 2007 at 7:42 AM |
A high-speed pursuit that started in Lakewood late Wednesday ended when officers found the suspect naked in a hot tub in the backyard of a Fircrest home.
The 28-year-old man was taken into custody without further incident. No one was injured during the pursuit or tracking of the suspect.
The incident began about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when a Lakewood patrol officer spotted a truck around South 84th Street and South Tacoma Way. The officer ran the truck’s license plate and discovered that it had been reported stolen Tuesday in Olympia, police Lt. Dave Guttu said.
The officer followed the truck as other patrol officers responded to the area to help with a traffic stop. When the officer turned on his lights to stop the truck at South 74th Street and South Tacoma Way, the driver took off, Guttu said.
Officers followed the truck as it drove through Tacoma’s South End and Fircrest, along city streets and alleys. Speeds ranged from 50 to 85 mph during the 15-minute pursuit.
At one point, the truck driver made a U-turn and tried to hit one of the Lakewood patrol cars head-on. The patrol officer swerved out of the way to avoid the collision, Guttu said.
The pursuit ended in Fircrest at Alameda Avenue and Monterey Lane. A Lakewood officer had attempted a maneuver to stop the truck but instead of stopping the truck, the officer continued to rotate and struck a light pole, Guttu said. The officer was not injured.
The truck kept going. Moments later, it crashed head-on into a tree about midnight and the driver fled. Investigators suspect the driver failed to negotiate a turn when he was coming to a dead end, Guttu said.
Officers swarmed the area to search for the driver. A Tacoma police dog tracked the suspect’s scent as King County’s Guardian One helicopter searched from overhead.
The helicopter crew spotted a hot tub cover askew in the backyard of a home on Delta Court. At the same time, the police dog was tracking in the same area, Guttu said.
The helicopter made a couple of passes and came back to the area of the hot tub. The crew noticed the cover was even more out of place. Meanwhile, a homeowner called to say voices could be heard in the backyard, Guttu said.
Officers got an address and went to the house. They found the truck driver naked in the hot tub. He’d been there for about 90 minutes and was arrested shortly after 2 a.m. Thursday without further incident. The man’s clothes were found just outside of the hot tub. He had not been injured when the truck crashed, Guttu said.
Officers found a bag of suspected meth and a switchblade knife in the hot tub with the man.
The man was booked into Pierce County Jail on two outstanding warrants as well as on suspicion of possession of stolen property, felony eluding, drug possession, driving with a suspended license and first-degree assault, Guttu said.