The police chase involved a toy gun, broken shackles and in the end a sedative, charges say

The gun a man repeatedly pointed at Pierce County sheriff’s deputies and Tacoma police officers during a high-speed chase Wednesday appears to have been a toy, according to charging papers.

Ryan Patrick Shearon, 29, pleaded not guilty at arraignment Friday to charges of attempting to elude police, four counts of second-degree assault, drug possession, driving under the influence, hit-and-run and obstructing police.

Retired Superior Court Judge Thomas Felnagle, filling in on a temporary basis, set bail at $400,000.

According to charging papers and the sheriff’s department:

The chase started about 6 p.m. after a deputy saw Shearon’s Mazda cross the centerline on Marine View Drive. The deputy tried to pull the car over but Shearon fled.

For 30 miles.

He pointed a gun out the window at various times throughout the chase. One deputy estimated Shearon pointed a gun at him seven to 10 times.

At one point a Tacoma officer near Interstate 5 and South 38th Street reported “shots fired,” after seeing Shearon’s hand jerk, as if recoiling from shooting.

“I was under the impression at the time we were being fired at even though I couldn’t hear the shots or see any smoke,” the officer reported.

Shearon went through Parkland and Spanaway, and ultimately was stopped after about 30 minutes near Mountain Highway East and 360th Street South.

He did not listen to commands to get to the ground, and was shot with a stun gun. Then he was handcuffed, and started thrashing on the ground with “inhuman strength,” one deputy noted.

He broke a set of leg shackles, and ultimately was sedated with ketamine by fire personnel called to the scene.

An investigator later found a toy gun on the Mazda’s dashboard. It might have been an air soft or CO2 pistol, the investigator noted.

Detectives also found a receipt for a handgun in the vehicle, part of a pistol, a .380 round of ammunition and a small bag of apparent methamphetamine.

This story was originally published August 10, 2018 at 5:46 PM.