A man on probation was arrested Tuesday night after leading deputies on a two-county pursuit in a stolen car that ended at the gates of Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
The pursuit started in the Nisqually Basin after a Thurston County Sheriff’s deputy noticed the driver of a Lincoln MXK SUV acting suspicious.
The deputy was working on reports near Nisqually Park Drive and Sixth Avenue Southeast when the SUV slowed down, then sped off, according to Lt. Greg Elwin.
The deputy started following the vehicle, which ran a stop sign and took off down Old Pacific Highway.
The pursuit was headed toward Pierce County when the deputy saw a hand come out of the sunroof and throw something into the Nisqually River.
The deputy aimed a spotlight on the sunroof and saw the hand come out again, this time holding a sandwich bag “filled with something white,” Elwin said. The suspect threw it over the patrol car.
Once on Interstate 5, the SUV reached speeds of more than 100 mph, swerving in and out of traffic, before taking exit 119 toward the JBLM gate.
“The vehicle turned right into JBLM, and the gate guards lifted the gate and waved the suspect through,” Elwin said.
The SUV stopped inside the gate, and the deputy was about to approach when the driver made a U-turn toward the guard shack, Elwin said.
The deputy was able to get the driver, a 46-year-old transient, out of the car without incident.
“The man told the deputy he was on military property and requested federal asylum,” Elwin said. “He said he only wanted to speak with a federal officer and be taken before a federal magistrate.”
The deputy found out the SUV was reported stolen out of Lacey on Monday. The 46-year-old was booked into Thurston County Jail.
Chelsea Krotzer: 360-754-5476ckrotzer@theolympian.com
@chelseakrotzer
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