Gun incident at Tacoma smoke shop sparks 2-county police chase. 3 people were arrested
Three men were charged this week in Pierce County for their roles in a high-speed chase that began with a gun being pulled on a man at a Tacoma smoke shop and ended with the suspects’ car pinned into a guard rail on Interstate 5.
According to charging documents filed Monday, Tacoma Police Department officers were dispatched Sunday to a Portland Avenue smoke shop where a man reported he was followed into the store by two people, one of whom wore a black ski mask. The victim told police the masked man pulled out a handgun and appeared ready to shoot him before the other person said they had the wrong person.
Police reviewed surveillance video that showed a black Jeep Wrangler brought the two to the smoke shop. When a sergeant drove to the business to help employees download the footage, he reportedly saw the vehicle stopped at an intersection near Portland Avenue. The sergeant turned on his emergency lights, records state, and the Jeep driver sped south.
The alleged gunman, a 23-year-old SeaTac man, was charged in Pierce County Superior Court with second-degree attempted assault, and two counts of first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. The alleged driver, a 26-year-old man with an address in University Place, was charged with attempted assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle. The man accused of going in with the gunman, a 25-year-old Seattle man, was charged with attempted assault.
The alleged driver was released on personal recognizance until his next court date following arraignment Monday afternoon. The 25-year-old Seattle man was released on personal recognizance with home monitoring. The alleged gunman remains in custody at Pierce County Jail. According to court records, he would be released on home monitoring if he posts $50,000 bail.
Police were reportedly familiar with the victim, and his residence had been the target of several drive-by shootings, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. Prosecutors wrote in the charging papers that the man believed the men who followed him into the store were going to shoot him but had mistaken him with someone else.
He allegedly told police he was at the smoke shop for about 20 minutes with another person before the Jeep pulled into the parking lot and two occupants followed him in. Surveillance video captured the vehicle’s Oregon license plate, according to the probable cause document, and police later determined it was a rental car.
It’s unclear exactly how many police units were involved in the chase. Tacoma police spokesperson Wendy Haddow said the call involved 19 units, including several from Ruston Police Department. She said those units included officers working scene control, supervisors and officers requesting a search warrant, among others.
Pursuit hit 90 mph on Pacific Avenue
When police caught up to the Jeep, the driver went south on Portland until 64th Street, where he went west to Pacific Avenue at about 60 mph, records state. From there, the driver went north, allegedly hitting 90 mph.
Then, the driver went east on South 38th Street to take the Interstate 705 on-ramp. There, an officer struck the Jeep with a pursuit intervention technique, but the vehicle spun 360 degrees and kept going, according to the probable cause document. The Jeep then merged onto northbound Interstate 5, where there was heavy traffic. Records state the driver swerved between other vehicles.
As the Jeep approached the South 272nd Street exit — about 17 miles into the pursuit — one of the vehicle’s tires blew, and its speed dropped to about 40 mph, prosecutors wrote. An officer used a pursuit technique again, and the car spun into a guard rail, where other patrol cars pinned it in.
One of the suspects allegedly got out and went over the guard rail to flee but surrendered when he saw there were only “sticker bushes” waiting for him on the other side. All three men were taken into custody.
The Jeep was impounded for a search warrant. According to the probable cause document, police found two handguns with 50-round drum magazines attached and another extended magazine. Another handgun was reportedly found in the pants pocket of the alleged gunman. Records state it was loaded with three different types of 9 mm ammunition.
