Woman who shot at Pierce County deputies during high-speed chase sentenced to prison
A woman who shot at Pierce County deputies in 2019 during a high-speed pursuit in Tacoma has been sentenced to prison.
Alyssa Chastain, 29, was sentenced Wednesday in Pierce County Superior Court for first-degree assault, second-degree assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. She pleaded guilty to the crimes in February.
Superior Court Judge Susan Adams ordered Chastain to spend 13 years, 6 months in prison. That’s within the standard sentencing range for defendants tried in similar cases.
The woman was one of two people charged following the October, 4, 2019, police pursuit that began near 112th Street East and Pacific Avenue in Parkland and ended in the Frederickson area. Pierce County deputies used a maneuver to stop the car and then shot Chastain as she tried to flee on foot.
Also charged was 28-year-old Glenard Poole, who was a passenger in Chastain’s vehicle. Last month, a Pierce County jury found him not guilty of first-degree assault after he was accused of also firing gunshots at pursuing law enforcement officers.
Poole was found guilty of attempting to elude a pursuing vehicle. He is to be sentenced May 6.
The pursuit began at about 2:30 a.m. after a state trooper tried to pull over Chastain, who had a warrant out for her arrest. During the subsequent chase, Chastain drove into oncoming traffic, drove recklessly and reached speeds of over 100 mph, according to charging documents.
In an interview with Tacoma police detectives, Poole said Chastain shot out the back window during the pursuit to fire upon the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department vehicles. Poole allegedly held the wheel while Chastain shot two handguns, striking at least one vehicle. No deputies were injured.
After deputies stopped Chastain’s vehicle, she ran, and four Pierce County deputies shot at her, striking her left shin. She was transported to a local hospital for her injuries.
Inside her vehicle, deputies allegedly found heroin and methamphetamine along with two handguns.
