WSP: Trooper shoots driver after 130-mph chase down I-5
TACOMA, Wash. - A state trooper shot, captured and arrested a motorist who repeatedly rammed his patrol car following a chase at speeds of up to 130 mph down Interstate 5 early Saturday, the Washington State Patrol reported.
The trooper fired three shots at the driver, hitting him in the wrist.
The drama began just after midnight when the state trooper clocked the car heading south on I-5 at speeds of well over 100 mph near the King-Pierce County line.
The trooper set off in pursuit of the car, a 1993 Honda Prelude, and observed the driver recklessly weaving through traffic and passing other cars on the shoulder at high speed, the State Patrol reported.
The trooper activated his lights and siren, but the driver of the Honda refused to pull over and continued to speed south on I-5. The Honda finally stopped at the Bay Street exit in Tacoma, possibly after a crash.
As the state trooper pulled up behind and began to exit his vehicle, the Honda driver backed up and rammed the trooper’s car while the trooper was standing behind his door, the State Patrol reported.
At some point, the Honda ended up nose to nose with the trooper's car as the suspect kept repeatedly ramming into it. The trooper then fired about three shots at the Honda driver in self-defense, striking the driver in the wrist.
At that point, the Honda driver turned his car around and again took off south on I-5. The trooper jumped back into his car and chased after him.
The suspect finally exited on Highway 16 with the same trooper in pursuit. As the trooper caught up with the Honda, he rammed it with his car and spun it around, pinning it against the guardrail at the side of the ramp.
The trooper then took the Honda driver into custody. He was later identified as a 23-year-old University Place man. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The trooper also was taken to the hospital to be checked out for neck and back pain.
The trooper fired three shots at the driver, hitting him in the wrist.
The drama began just after midnight when the state trooper clocked the car heading south on I-5 at speeds of well over 100 mph near the King-Pierce County line.
The trooper set off in pursuit of the car, a 1993 Honda Prelude, and observed the driver recklessly weaving through traffic and passing other cars on the shoulder at high speed, the State Patrol reported.
The trooper activated his lights and siren, but the driver of the Honda refused to pull over and continued to speed south on I-5. The Honda finally stopped at the Bay Street exit in Tacoma, possibly after a crash.
As the state trooper pulled up behind and began to exit his vehicle, the Honda driver backed up and rammed the trooper’s car while the trooper was standing behind his door, the State Patrol reported.
At some point, the Honda ended up nose to nose with the trooper's car as the suspect kept repeatedly ramming into it. The trooper then fired about three shots at the Honda driver in self-defense, striking the driver in the wrist.
At that point, the Honda driver turned his car around and again took off south on I-5. The trooper jumped back into his car and chased after him.
The suspect finally exited on Highway 16 with the same trooper in pursuit. As the trooper caught up with the Honda, he rammed it with his car and spun it around, pinning it against the guardrail at the side of the ramp.
The trooper then took the Honda driver into custody. He was later identified as a 23-year-old University Place man. He was taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tacoma for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
The trooper also was taken to the hospital to be checked out for neck and back pain.
Throw this kid in the hole, and yes I mean the one where we don't know where the bottom is; out of sight out of mind and off the tax rolls...
No excuse for this behavior. Â Thanks for putting him in jail.
"The trooper then took the Honda driver into custody. He was later identified as a 23-year-old University Place man."
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Great! So what's his Name and where's his Mugshot?
IF he gets convicted (lawyers, plea bargaining etc) on the evading felony charges, his driver's license should be revoked permanently for life after he serves time. Should he be caught driving again, automatic 5 year prison sentence, again 10 year sentence, etc.  Driving is a priviledge....not a right.    Something has got to be done about these idiots.  The legal system has to get tough.
 @Gary Hamm Driving is a right, check your constitution.
 @Glenn Gordon doesn't hide )  @Gary Hamm Really?
 @DarkParty  @Glenn Gordon doesn't hide )  @Gary HammDriving is covered by the constitution under "travel". The perception is driving isn't a right, it certainly is. For the easiest way to learn this, load up your constitution and ctrl+f travel *EDITED* (i was wrong about the ctrl+f part =D). Clearly, this moron child lost his rights when he took it upon himself to take away the rights of others. HonkeyCat It seems to me you need a license more for identification than anything else. The question I think more pertinent is why we need insurance which appears to me for purposes of liability, you do not need to prove coverage of liability through an insurance company if your prove capability to pay a specific amount selected by your state by bank account or having collateral and provable assets, insurance is NOT needed. It's all very interesting. I wonder how many people pay for insurance that could easily prove to the court system a capability to cover damages through land holdings alone. Then again, if you don't have insurance, you are gambling your possessions in order to pay if an accident occurs.
 @DarkParty  @Glenn Gordon doesn't hide )  @Gary Hamm  @HonkeyCat http://www.apfn.org/apfn/travel.htm
Driving is in the constitution?
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Why does one need a license?Â
Nice job Trooper. Talk about perseverance, and not letting the idiot driver get away. That's how it's done.
Good job in your perseverance of this drug crazed individual..( I assume that this individual must be high on drugs due to the behavior) and capturing him too. Your job is hard enough without someone trying to kill you with their car..When someone is ramming their car into you.. the fact that this trooper was able to hit this person, is a job well done..Then to continue the pursuit.. Well done Officer..well done!
People who pays no respect to Law-enforcement deserve more SHOTS ! Good job WSP !
Great work WSP !!! A 23 yo piece of junk. Too bad he didn't run into a telephone pole. He has no respect for police officers. We haven't heard the last of this jerk. Do we have to feed him while he's in jail? =)
Nice work Trooper! Â Now, go get yourself a nice, deep tissue massage. Â Your back and neck will thank you and you deserve it!
@stamperzann I hear Renton & Bellevue come highly recommended.
Score another one for the good guys of the WSP. Hopefully the trooper was not seriously injured.
Well, a shot through the wrist could be a better punishment than a slap on the wrist...
not much better than a slap on the wrist, but better ...Â
Where is that poster Andrew Bush on days local law enforcement do a great job like this trooper did?Â
@lakeunion Probably trolling the KIRO board
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Good work trooper glade your safe
Frank 525 YOU ARE CORRECT.
One word. Dumbarse.
Unfortunate the trooper did not get a solid melon shot. Pile will be back on the road tanked again, then what.
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Glad the patrolman is on the mend.Â
 @pbs7mm more time at shooting rangeÂ
 @wellduhspankky Shooting range is a fixed position target with distance options so why would sending this trooper to the range help him more with a moving target?
Good work, trooper...Â
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 @ulquiorra Hollywood Undead Levitation.
Good work Trooper! Hope your injuries are very minor and you heal quickly!
Wow! What a dummy! Glad the trooper caught that idiot.
This guy had it coming. Too bad he was only shot in the wrist.
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Good work, Trooper!
Glad the officer was able to take this nut sack down without hurting himself too bad. Sounds like he was lucky.
I tell ya, I have so much appreciation for these men and women in uniform who risk their lives for the safety of all of us. Nice work, officer!
Coming back from Bell Town in Seattle I bet.
 @Telman@ Sadly, probably true.Â
Wow! The crazy's are sure coming out lately.Â
Good job for this trooper for not killing this guy and getting him in custody, all while not injuring anyone else! He's skilled, obviously...deserves some kind of a little medal or congratulations or something!!Â
 @Love I don't know if he is "skilled" as you say - but perhaps just a bad aim!
 @commonHuskyfan  @Love boo! They are trained to aim for a non life threatening area of the body. His aim was impeccable I'd say!
 @commonHuskyfan  @bzb Keep in mind he shot the guy BEFORE he got him pinned on Hwy 16.  So he was shooting at the guy while his car was getting rammed.  Too bad he didn't get him in a more sensitive spot but hey, considering the circumstances, not too shabby.
 @bzb  @commonHuskyfan  @Love That's incorrect actually. Police are taught to aim for center mass in any situation. Marksmen do it differently though.
Wrong. We are trained for center mass to stop the threat. It is pretty hard to hit the chest cavity over a dashboard and through windshield of a  car that is repeatedly raming the car you're in.
 @FireDude Youre partially correct, officers are taught to aim for center mass however they are instructed as a last resort measure only. By shooting an extremity or non life threatening area, it can allow an officer control the situation more effectively without upping a body count that is unnecessary.
 @Landshark  @commonHuskyfan You are right, and I stand corrected.Â
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Nope - double tap, cetner mass
 @commonHuskyfan  Did you even read the article?
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The position of the cars in the photo above happened AFTER the officer had fired and hit the criminal. Â
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1) He shot the criminal in the hand
2) The criminal sped away
3) The officer pinned the car as shown in the photo above.
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So, you clearly (as do the rest of us) have NO IDEA what physical position the 2 cars were in when the officer fired and hit the criminal.
@bzb@commonHuskyfan@Love
"...trained to aim for a non life threatening area of the body"
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That's absolutely incorrect. Â
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Police officers are trained to shoot for the center-of-mass. Â It's the largest part of the body so they are less likely to miss and injure or kill someone beyond the intended target. Â Also, if they hit the center-of-mass, it's more likely to stop the encounter. Â No police officer intentionally aims at the limbs. Â Ask any police officer.
@bzb @commonHuskyfan @Love Actually they are NOT taught to aim for a non threatening area of the body. As a former Deputy Sheriff in Wisconsin we were taught if you had to use your weapon you aimed for center mass and did NOT try to shoot to wound. YOu do not want the criminal to get off a lucky shot and hit you or some innocent person. You are taught that if you have to shoot shoot to kill, not wound.
 @commonHuskyfan  @bzb I would have lost no sleep if he had killed the perp.
 @bzb Ok, I'll give you that. But given the position of the car in the photo, I'd be VERY surprised if the trooper was actually aiming for the wrist.Â
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I believe it is more likely the officer missed because of a shaky aim, perhaps brought upon my adrenaline, etc. The wrist is a very small target, and from the photo it looks like he would have been aiming head-on.
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Just my thoughts though, I have no proof. I am glad though that he didn't kill the guy.
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