Suspected car thief wounded in shootout with police
TACOMA, Wash. -- A man driving a stolen car was shot by police after he opened fire on two Lakewood police officers who were chasing him late Sunday, according to officials.
The officers were not hurt and the suspect was taken to Tacoma General Hospital where his current condition was not known.
Lakewood Police Lt. Chris Lawler said the chase began just before 10 p.m. when the officers spotted the stolen car while on patrol near Gravelly Lake Drive and Interstate 5.
The driver refused to stop and sped north on I-5, eventually exiting at Portland Avenue in Tacoma.
Officers used a PIT maneuver to force the fleeing car to stop. That's when the driver shot at the officers, Lawler said.
It was not immediately clear how many shots were fired, but the suspect was hit at least once when the officers returned fire.
Police cordoned off the area overnight, and officials said they found evidence of drug use in the stolen car.
The two officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure for police shootings.
The officers were not hurt and the suspect was taken to Tacoma General Hospital where his current condition was not known.
Lakewood Police Lt. Chris Lawler said the chase began just before 10 p.m. when the officers spotted the stolen car while on patrol near Gravelly Lake Drive and Interstate 5.
The driver refused to stop and sped north on I-5, eventually exiting at Portland Avenue in Tacoma.
Officers used a PIT maneuver to force the fleeing car to stop. That's when the driver shot at the officers, Lawler said.
It was not immediately clear how many shots were fired, but the suspect was hit at least once when the officers returned fire.
Police cordoned off the area overnight, and officials said they found evidence of drug use in the stolen car.
The two officers involved in the shooting will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure for police shootings.
Officers go to the shooting range and practice your aim... we don't need any car thief's who think they can shoot at officers and live... at least shoot the guy in the jewels so they cannot multiply anymore!
To bad Komo decided to pass on footage of the suspect coming off the ambulance at Tacoma General with paramedics preforming CPR compressions. Instead they show the public a bunch of flashing lights. Thats good news reporting. LOL
Too bad the perp will live to steal another day.
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Sad part is the owner of the car will not hear about their (now trashed) vehicle being in the impound lot until it's racked up more than double it's value in fees. Those same fees will be levied against them when they won't (or can't) pay to get the vehicle back.
Not true at all. The car will be held in evidence.
Lakehood, up to no good!
I've devised a five point plan to help citizens avoid being shot by police. This plan may not prevent all shootings, but very few will take place when the plan is rigorously adhered to. So, here are the rules: 1. DON'T COMMIT VIOLENT CRIMES. I know this seems elementary, but this rule is lost on many. They do the crime, get shot, and then wonder how it could possibly happen. They whine that it is so unfair. Well, violent crime, like jumping in front of moving cars, is just a high risk occupation. 2. If you ignore rule No. 1, and the police do confront you, DON'T RUN AWAY FROM THEM. I know it's hard to believe, but that may make them think you're guilty of something. Hiding in bushes or closets makes some cops very nervous. They might even foolishly conclude that you're up to no good! 3. If you disregard rules 1 and 2, and the cops catch up with you anyway and inform you that you are under arrest, DON'T MAKE FAST MOVEMENTS WITH YOUR HANDS. I know it sounds silly, but grabbing a shiny beer can or a dark colored wallet may make police officers mistakenly believe that you are about to hurt them. 4. If you disregard rules 1, 2, and 3, and manage to get what looks like a deadly weapon into your hands, DON'T POINT IT AT THE COPS. We all know that you're basically a nice person, but that may be lost on the police officers confronting you. In their paranoia, they may even believe they need to protect themselves. 5. If you disregard rules 1, 2, 3, and 4, DON'T BE ASTONISHED IF THE COPS DO NOT INSTANTLY TURN INTO YOUR PERSONAL CONFIDANTE. They may be too preoccupied to realize that you're normally a splendid person and that you're just having a bad day. They may be too preoccupied to see that when you point a weapon at them in a threatening manner, it is just your way of crying out for help. We both know that the whole problem can be traced to the fact that your mother didn't breast feed you, but some police officers are so cynical they just don't see it. So, there you have it. If you really apply yourself and obey even some of the rules listed above, I bet you'll avoid the vast majority of police gunfire.Â
Your awesome post needs to be distributed to ALL activists who want to make excuses for chronic felons and garden variety idiots who get themselves into dicey situations with the cops. End of story. Thank you.
@Michael Merry ...Rules to live by...great post!!!
@Michael Merry I absolutely love your post!!!!! Simple common sense is lost on too many people.
 @Michael Merry Exactly. If our actions proclaim us to be concerned about "our fellow man", then we won't be considered to be violent anti-social parasitical scum that needs liquidating.
Over an 80's Celica?!?!?!?! We live in a weary world.
 @Howard Beale Hey, when you gotta have wheels, you gotta have wheels....
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Story would have been so much better if the headline had read ""Suspected car thief killed in shootout with police". Now the taxpayers are paying for medical care of this scumbag.
His excuse for being caught in a stolen car is probably going to be "a friend loaned me his car. I had no idea it was stolen...". Sure.
Nice set of crime scene photos, Mr. Hawkins.
Shooting at Lakewood cops? Perp was clearly brain-dead already!
Law Enforcement and innocent citizens went home safe it gets no better than that !
Too bad they didn't kill him. One less piece of trash is always the most desirable result.
I'm glad the officers weren't hurt. I don't give a damn if the idiot who stole a car, put peoples' lives at risk by attempting to outrun the cops, and then firing on the cops. If he gets shot and/or killed, he deserves it. He is a danger to our society and he could have easily killed or hurt innocent people.
 @The WA Mama Well said.....
Yeah I'm going to outrun the cops in a Honda.
 @mstiptonÂ
Toyota....but the result is the same.
Send the officers off to the firing range to get retrained.
Too bad the perp wasn't killed. What a fool.
This article is like 10 hours old and no one yet got bent out of shape about the lack of racial depiction of the suspect, I'm shocked
 @Larry*X*K Thanks for stepping up to the plate.
 @TheTruncheon Well someone had to
@TheTruncheon LOL!
 @Throbbinhood :-D
Real smart!  Steal a car, speed away and shoot at officers. This buffoon deserves whatever fate he CHOSE for himself. Was it worth it Einstein?? The odds are NEVER in your favor.......
and more importantly....thank you officers that put your lives on the line to protect all of us.
Shoot to kill. Or else we have to pay for their recovery.
 @SouthofSeattle Another keyboard warrior who's only tough online.Â
 @Stacy Come over to my house and meet my Glock. I sure as heck will make sure you don't recover ;)
 @Stacy  @SouthofSeattle & Harrison; I hope it's your car or your lives at risk next time. You bleeding hearts are 1/2 of what's wrong with our court system that lets vermin like this repeat and repeat and still you want to give them chance after chance. You want to bring God into it, then consult your bible: an eye for an eye, or in this case, lead for lead.
@Sam Adartson Thank you! I can now wipe off the vomit from my face after reading some of the ridiculousness....
@Stacy
Thank you Stacy and well said.Â
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I had been looking for a catchy phrase for the knuckleheads who are ready at a momentâs notice to unleash their personal arsenal of hot lead and fury on their fellow man, serving final justice as if they are God, Lord and Savior. Compared to other local media outlet story/article comments, KOMO seems to attract a significant number of those âkeyboard warriorsâ
@Stacy @SouthofSeattle When someone flees and then shoots at police, I'm not interesred in what their resons were or in fact, what any mitigating circumstances are. If their going to fire on officers, I feel it would be best to just eliminate them from society and not burdon the rest of us with the costs of detention or rehabilitation.  South of Seattle's comments may be more than just empty keystrokes.
@NoiseMan That's right:Â one of our "fellow man"Â (puke!)Â takes a shot at an officer doing their job, they're totally open game for anything, including a) getting shot themselves, and b) taking the hits on a local news comment stream in any damn way, shape or form.
Sick of the sympathizers who don't just see & say things simply the way they are: it's called REALITY.
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Nice save officers. Glad no one important was hurt, exept for maybe the poor car.
 finally a story with a happy ending
Now, I just hate to see an innocent car get all shot up like that.
To bad he did not die use more bullets next time!
 @wynooheeman Is there a bible quote somewhere about wishing another man death?
I'm just curious
 @Larry*X*K  @wynooheeman A time shall come when the living shall envy the dead. AS in Scotty beam me up, like yesterday for peat's sake
 @belsnickles "Bogged Down..."
Took me a minute.. LOL!
 @TheTruncheon  @Cindertang Aw, c'mon now, don't get bogged down by syntax.
 @Cindertang Wow... "peat's sake"... haven't read that one before! Awesome.
 @Larry*X*K  @wynooheeman Yeah, "Reap what thou shall sow".
 @wynooheeman News Tribune is reporting that he is deceased.Â