Police shoot man after carjackings, a wreck and chase from Pierce County to Puyallup
Police shot a man in Puyallup Saturday afternoon after a wild sequence of events that started with a reported carjacking and ended in a fatal standoff.
The incident has been forwarded to the Pierce County Force Investigation Team, which conducts inquiries into police uses of deadly force. A statement released Saturday evening by Lakewood police Sgt. Charles Porche provided a summary of the events.
The initial dispatch call came at 12:25 p.m., Porche’s statement said. Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the 10400 block of Portland Avenue East for a reported armed robbery and carjacking.
Two minutes later, Tacoma police and Tacoma firefighters responded to a reported multi-car collision at South 56th Street and Pacific Avenue in Tacoma. A fire department spokesperson said one person had been transported to a local hospital.
Meanwhile, Tacoma officers learned that one of the vehicles in the wreck looked like the same car from the earlier carjacking, and a man resembling the carjacking suspect was involved in a second carjacking nearby, according to the statement sent by Porche.
Searching the area, a Tacoma officer spotted the second stolen car a few minutes later, near the intersection of East 35th Street and East D Street.
“The officer attempted to stop the vehicle, and a pursuit ensued,” Porche’s statement said.
The pursuit continued on River Road, as the fleeing suspect headed toward Puyallup. Spike strips deployed by Puyallup police slowed the fleeing car down, but the driver didn’t stop until the disabled car gave out in the 500 block of Valley Avenue East, Porche’s statement said.
That was where the chase ended. The fleeing man got out of the car.
“The suspect exited the vehicle with a weapon in hand,” Porche’s statement said. “He was given commands to drop the weapon and cease his movement. The suspect came towards the officers and shots were fired.”
The man dropped. Police provided medical aid, and arriving firefighters provided more, according to Porche’s statement, but the man was declared dead at the scene. No officers were injured, Porche wrote.
The man had not been identified as of Saturday evening, nor did Porche provide further details about which officer or officers fired shots. The lack of initial detail is typical in reports of such incidents, which are investigated under a procedure mandated by state law. PCFIT is required to provide weekly updates going forward. A final decision on whether the use of force was justified will come from the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office, in keeping with standard procedure.
This story was originally published April 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM.
