A pursuit that began early Saturday on Highway 16 near the Kitsap County-Pierce County line ended with the arrest of two people near Gig Harbor 17 minutes later.

A Washington State Patrol trooper attempted to stop the driver of a 1995 Toyota Camry on suspicion of speeding. A dispatcher soon informed the trooper that the vehicle had been reported stolen in Shelton.

According to a State Patrol news release, the driver failed to stop and led the trooper and other law enforcement personnel on a chase through the back roads of Gig Harbor.

As the driver returned to the highway, officers placed spike strips near Burnham Road. When that effort to stop the vehicle failed, officers set new strips near Bethel Road. These shredded the Toyota’s tires, spreading chunks of debris.

Officers allege that the car’s passenger shone a bright spotlight into their eyes during the pursuit. Troopers were finally able to stop the vehicle, but again the driver tried to speed away, according to the report, until the bare metal of the car’s rims created sparks on the pavement that set the vehicle on fire.

When the Toyota did stop, the driver and his passenger failed to comply with troopers, according to the report.

The driver, a 23-year-old Aberdeen, Grays Harbor County, man, and his 18-year-old female passenger were arrested without further incident.

Both were booked into the Kitsap County Jail on charges related to the alleged vehicle theft, the pursuit and outstanding felony warrants.

C.R. Roberts, The News Tribune