Lights & Sirens

The News Tribune's Lights & Sirens blog provides breaking news, updates on on-going investigations and insights into other news from the Tacoma, Pierce County and South Puget Sound criminal justice community. It also gives The News Tribune an avenue to interact with readers, answer “What was that?” questions and provides a venue for readers to ask about on-going criminal justice issues and problems in their neighborhoods. The blog aims to inform, educate and, at times, entertain with weird or wacky crime news.
The Lineup

Stacey Mulick covers Pierce County crime and safety issues for The News Tribune. She’s worked at The News Tribune since May 1998. Contact her at stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com.

Adam Lynn covers courts as part of the Crime and Breaking News Team at The News Tribune, where he’s worked since 2003. Lynn has spent nearly half of his 21-year career chronicling criminal justice matters in Washington and won reporting awards for his coverage of serial killer Robert Yates. “The Corpse Had a Familiar Face” by renowned Miami Herald reporter Edna Buchanan is among his favorite books. You can contact him at adam.lynn@thenewstribune.com.

Brian Everstine is a night breaking news and general assignment reporter for The News Tribune. The Spokane native arrived in Tacoma in the summer of 2008 and still is adjusting to life on this side of the mountains. He has written for papers in the Tri-Cities and his hometown. Contact him at brian.everstine@thenewstribune.com.

Occasional contributers:

Database reporter Ian Demsky, ian.demsky@thenewstribune.com.

General assignment reporter Mike Archbold, mike.archbold@thenewstribune.com.

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Go behind the yellow tape with the The News Tribune's Crime & Breaking News Team.
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
Posted by Stacey Mulick @ 09:21:38 am

A traffic stop in downtown Tacoma led to a police chase along southbound Interstate 5 this morning.

One man has been arrested near the Fort Lewis main gate, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. There have been no reports of injuries.

A citizen flagged down a Tacoma police officer about 8:15 a.m. to report that a man in a truck was acting "strangely," Fulghum said.

The officer pulled behind the man, who was at the intersection of South 9th and A streets near the on-ramp to Interstate 705. He repeatedly didn't move when the light turned green.

"(The citizen) was concerned," Fulghum said.

The officer attempted to contact the man, who appeared fidgety and failed to comply with the officer's commands. The officer drew his gun and took cover behind his patrol car door, Fulghum said.

Two Washington State Patrol troopers on their way to court saw the officer with his gun drawn and stopped to assist, Fulghum said.

Other officers were called to the scene.

"The guy sat in truck refusing to follow commands," Fulghum said. "We tried talking. We had him surrounded."

The man started to roll forward in his truck, then all of a sudden, took off.

"He puts the pedal to the metal and takes off down the freeway on-ramp," Fulghum said. "It was just all of a sudden, from stop to as fast as he could go."

Officers pursued the truck on Interstate 705 to southbound Interstate 5. Troopers joined in the chase. The man threw items out of his truck as he drove, Fulghum said.

At one point, the three left lanes of southbound I-5 were closed because of the pursuit, the state Department of Transportation reported.

Officers deployed spike strips in an attempt to stop the fleeing man. A trooper used a PIT maneuever to get the man stopped at the main gate area of Fort Lewis just before 9 a.m., Fulghum said.

The 48-year-old man was taken into custody without further incident and then booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of felony eluding and two outstanding warrants. He was not injured.

The main gate and lanes of I-5 were reopened to traffic by 9:15 a.m.