Large police presence following wrong-way wreck on busy street in downtown Puyallup
A wrong-way crash during a police pursuit in downtown Puyallup drew a large police presence Friday.
The crash happened about 2:15 p.m. on Third Street Southeast near Fourth Avenue Southeast.
Officers who responded drew their weapons and repeatedly told someone inside one of the vehicles to raise their hands and stop reaching around, and they ultimately took a person into custody.
Puyallup Police Capt. Greg Massey said at the scene just before 3 p.m. that he was gathering details about what happened and did not immediately have information to release. He confirmed that no one was seriously injured.
A news release he sent shortly before 4 p.m. said officers had been “investigating a suspicious vehicle” on Burlington Northern Railroad property in the 400 block of Spring Street and learned the vehicle had been reported stolen.
“As officers approached the vehicle a female walked away,” the release said, and the driver fled.
“Officers did not pursue the vehicle and it left the scene driving recklessly to the north,” the release said.
Officers spoke with the woman, and soon the vehicle returned in an attempt to pick her up, “at one point narrowly missing a traffic officer on his motorcycle, causing him to come off his motorcycle and the motorcycle to fall to the ground.”
That’s when “a pursuit was authorized for the vehicle,” Massey wrote, and it went the wrong way on Third Street Southeast, which is one-way, and hit another vehicle.
Police arrested the fleeing driver, a 32-year-old Federal Way man, on suspicion of assault, DUI, possession of a stolen vehicle and eluding police, the release said, and they learned he had felony warrants.
Investigators confirmed the vehicle was reported stolen from Federal Way, the release said.
Asked about a series of pops at the scene of the crash, Massey confirmed that “a pepper ball device was used to gain compliance from the driver.”
That’s a device that launches balls of pepper powder, similar to pepper spray, he said.
Investigators closed a lane of Third Street and they closed Fourth Avenue for a block on either side of the wreck, but Massey said he expected things to reopen shortly.
