Suspected getaway driver involved in Puyallup police shooting kept in jail

A man suspected of leading police on a high-speed chase that ended with an officer shooting his passenger, a suspected serial robber, was ordered held Thursday for 72 hours.

Pierce County Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set 39-year-old Steven Mikeal Sommer’s arraignment for Monday, giving prosecutors time to review possible charges.

Officers booked Sommer into jail Wednesday for investigation of first-degree assault, first-degree robbery and attempting to elude police.

Police gave this account of the pursuit and shooting:

Officers got a report Wednesday of a robbery at a Puyallup restaurant, chased a truck leaving the restaurant. The driver, suspected to be Sommer, crashed the truck during the pursuit.

When officers tried to arrest the 37-year-old passenger, the man pointed a shotgun at the driver. It’s not clear why.

One of the officers then shot the passenger, who was seriously wounded. Police think he’s responsible for 10 Pierce County robberies.

The suspected robber was taken to a hospital in serious condition; Sommer was taken to jail.

This story was originally published October 20, 2016 at 3:39 PM with the headline "Suspected getaway driver involved in Puyallup police shooting kept in jail."