A wild police chase in Washington state turned into a dangerous and chaotic ordeal when a suspect allegedly threw a chainsaw at deputies during a high speed pursuit caught on video.
Pierce County deputies said the incident began just before midnight on April 19 when a woman reported her vehicle had been stolen from an apartment complex in the Parkland area.
Within minutes a K9 deputy spotted a driver in the stolen car attempting to leave and initiated a traffic stop, but the driver refused to pull over and sped away, sparking a pursuit, police said.
According to deputies, two suspects were inside the vehicle as it raced onto Interstate 5 southbound. Video and radio traffic from the chase captured how quickly the situation unfolded in real time.
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Early in the pursuit a deputy could be heard calling out that there was little traffic ahead as speeds reached around 70 miles per hour.
The situation escalated when a deputy suddenly radioed, “Just threw a chainsaw,” warning that the passenger was tossing objects out of the window and telling other units to “keep your eyes open.”
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Investigators said the suspect also threw rope and climbing gear onto the roadway as deputies continued the pursuit.
Officials said this is the point where the chase took a dangerous turn, as the passenger’s actions created a serious hazard for pursuing deputies.
The pursuit continued off Interstate 5 toward Joint Base Lewis McChord. As the suspects exited toward a logistics gate the stolen vehicle became stuck near a roundabout.
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Audio and video from deputies captured the moment the chase came to a stop, with one officer saying, “He’s stuck… get set up around here,” as units quickly moved in to contain the area.
Both suspects then bailed out of the vehicle and ran. A deputy could be heard broadcasting a description of the driver, saying he was wearing “black pants, white shirt,” as officers spread out and set up a perimeter.
With the suspects on foot, deputies then deployed a K9 unit to track them. Before releasing the dog an officer issued a clear warning that was captured on video, saying, “My dog will find you, he will bite you,” giving the suspect a chance to surrender.
Moments later the K9 located the passenger as the video captured the tense takedown as deputies closed in and repeatedly shouted commands including “Hands up” and “Get on your stomach,” ordering the suspect to show his hands and lie flat on the ground before he was taken into custody
Authorities said the 31-year-old passenger was transported to a hospital for treatment of a dog bite. He was expected to face multiple charges including first degree assault for allegedly throwing the chainsaw and other items at deputies, along with possession of motor vehicle theft tools and attempting to elude, officials said.
The 28-year-old driver initially escaped but was later located by military police on the base and taken into custody. He has been booked on charges of felony eluding and theft of a motor vehicle, according to officials.
