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.
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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.

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

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

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Lights & Sirens
Go behind the yellow tape with the The News Tribune's Crime & Breaking News Team.
Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
Traffic stop in downtown Tacoma prompts pursuit on I-5
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.

Categories: All, Tacoma, Traffic accidents/news, What was that? • 7 comments

COMMENTS:

rustyvioletbear @ 10:49 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Email
good job
citylies @ 11:55 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008
This guy should be charged by the EPA for creating an unnecessary carbon footprint with this pursuit, not only from his car, but the police' as well.
sting @ 12:49 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Email
One of the more ignorant comments I've read. Or was that a lame attempt at humor?
ArmandT @ 13:27 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Email
Sting is right. That was an ignorant comment.

It wasn't a "good job," it was a "great job!"

Meanwhile, Citylies is right on. They ought to charge this guy with everything they can, to include the wanton waste of fuel, unnecessary carbon footprint, and the fuel, man hours, and a proportionate percentage of the cost of training that made it possible for law enforcement officers to take this guy off the street.

Shove him in jail and there's not a reason in the world it has to cost the tax payers anything more than the cost of building the bars. Let his family bring him food, water and shelter.

Simple.

(Sting. Yeah, I got it. You meant City's comment, but you're wrong. City should've gone further than he did.)
Leper @ 13:34 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Email
"A man in a truck was acting strangely." Wow, that never happens.
jadradman @ 17:29 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Email
I WAS DRIVING A BLUE EXPLORER AND WAS RIGHT NEXT TO THIS GUY WHEN THE COP PULLED OUT HIS FIRE ARM AND REPEATEDELY TOLD THE MAN TO SHUT HIS TRUCK OFF OR TO PLACE HIS HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHICH HE DID NONE OF WHEN THE TWO OTHER COPS IN THE WHITE MINI VAN JUMPED OUT I KNEW SOMETHING WAS REALLY WRONG AND STARTED LOOKING FOR EXIT POINTS CONSIDERING MY FIVE YEAR OLD WAS IN HIS CAR SEAT BEHIND ME THERE WAS TRAFFIC BEHIND ME AND ANOTHER COP PULLED UP IN FRONT SO NOW THERE WERE 5 COPS WITH GUNS POINTED AND THE LADY COP MAINLY YELLING AND GIVING ORDERS TO THE MAN IN THE TRUCK I TURNED UNBUCKLED MY KID MOVED MY SEAT AS FORWARD AS IT WOULD GO AND TOLD HIM TO GET ON THE GROUND AT THIS POINT ANOTHER COP PULLED UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF ME SURROUNDING THE TRUCK, THIS WHOLE TIME THE MAN WAS MOVING AROUND IN HIS TRUCK HIS DOG WAS BARKING AND HE WAS MOVING AN INCH FORWARD THEN AN INCH BACKWARD, I LEANED OVER AND UNROLLED MY PASSENGER WINDOW AND TOLD THE LADY COP I HAD A KID IN THE CAR SHE LET THE OTHER OFFICERS KNOW BRIEFLY MINUTES LATER WITH ALL OF THIS STILL GOING ON THEY HAD BLOCKED OFF THE STREET AND BEGAN BACKING CARS OUT I WAS GLAD TO LEAVE I PULLED IN TO THE ALLEY BUCKLED THE KID BACK IN AND ANSWERE QUESTIONS FROM MY SON LIKE WHY DIDNT THE MAN TURN HIS CAR OFF DAD OR STATEMENTS LIKE I THOUGHT THEY WERE GOING TO SHOOT, WHY DID YOU GET PULLED OVER DAD, AND A THOUSAND I WAS REALLY SCARED DAD'S........IT COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE I GUESS I WONDER WHAT HE DID OR THOUGHT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO HIM IF HE WOULD HAVE DONE WHAT THEY TOLD HIM TO DO BECAUSE THEY COULD HAVE SHOT HIM RIGHT WHEN HE MADE HIS MOVE I WOULD IMAGINE????????
Regfool2 @ 17:49 - Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 Email
Jadraman - whew. Hard to read through the "shouting" of caps, and lack of punctuation. Must have been scary for you and your boy. My guess would be the guy was DUI some substance which dulled his cognitive processes. Or else he's just natuarlly dumber than a rock. Either way, not a comforting thought that he has access to a vehicle. Glad you and the little one are all right. Actually, you were probably safer than you thought - the officers would likely have taken him out only if he'd had a gun and brandished it at you/them, and that would have happened only if/when there was an indication he was going to use lethal force. Had the same thing happen a couple years ago - unfortunate enough to be ahead of some guy they wanted, and thought they were pulling ME over! Talked to an officer who said in that situaiton, keep going - if they want YOU, they'll indicate it and you can comply accordingly. Would have been nice if I'd been "excused" from the guns drawn portion of the entertainment thought! ROFL

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