At 12:26 pm on Sunday July 12th, one of our deputies spotted a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road at the 19000 block of Meridian.
The driver nearly hit another car head on, so the deputy turned on his lights and siren, but the driver refused to pull over. The driver took off and our deputy advised he had one failing to yield.
Eventually a Sergeant became the lead vehicle in the pursuit until the driver decided to make a run for it. He stopped at a gate and ran into the Puyallup River. Deputies gave chase on foot and ran into the river to get him. We can only guess when the suspect saw all 4 deputies along the bank and realized the water was only 2 feet deep he made his best decision of the day. The decision to surrender.
Our deputies were able to take him into custody and he made a statement that he didn’t think we could chase him. The laws changed on June 6th and he clearly didn’t get the memo. The free pass to commit crime by fleeing in a vehicle is over. Just like in the board game, you will skip your $200 and go straight to jail.
This 42-year-old suspect was booked into the Pierce County Jail for Reckless Driving, Attempting to Elude, and his two warrants. One Department of Corrections warrant for Escape Community Custody and a Pierce County warrant for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Great job Deputies!