On Monday, at 2:30 p.m., an undercover deputy spotted a possibly stolen Kia in a grocery store parking lot in the 11200 block of Canyon Rd E. The Kia had a broken window and a temporary license plate.
The deputy ran a records check and found out that the temporary plate belongs on a Toyota Tacoma. As he kept an eye on the vehicle and the woman driving it, he dug a little deeper. He learned that the vehicle had been stolen at gunpoint by a female suspect on Aug. 11. He also learned that, just a few days prior, a female driving the vehicle had fled from Lakewood officers, who couldn’t pursue her due to state law.
As the undercover deputy called for marked patrol cars to assist him, the suspect got into the car and drove away southbound on Canyon Rd E. Several deputies got behind her and she pulled into a RV storage lot at 144th St E. She got out of the Kia and ran up to a building. At the same time, a man pulled into the lot and got out of his car. Deputies were attempting to take the suspect into custody while also protecting the innocent bystander. The suspect jumped into the bystander’s vehicle and started it up. Even though the owner still had his keys, he was still close enough to his car that the key fob allowed the car to start using the push button. Deputies opened the driver and passenger doors to try to get to the suspect. As they did this, she put the car in reverse and backed up with the deputies trapped between the doors and the car. Neither deputy was seriously injured.
The suspect sped away northbound on Canyon Rd E. Since they had probable cause for assault, deputies pursued the suspect. She swerved around one set of stop sticks and then turned onto a dead-end road. She pulled into a restaurant parking lot, opened her door, and rolled out of the car, which crashed into a tree.
The 27-year-old suspect was arrested and booked into jail.
Deputies located a gun in the second stolen vehicle.
Prosecutors charged the suspect with two counts of assault in the second degree, theft of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude a police vehicle, and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle. She pleaded not guilty at her arraignment yesterday and was released on her personal recognizance.
