12-year-old girl struck by man attempting to steal her mother’s vehicle in Tacoma
A 12-year-old girl was hospitalized after a vehicle struck her in Tacoma on Wednesday night, police say.
Officers were dispatched around 8:40 p.m. to the 6800 block of South K Street after a mother and her daughter were stepping outside their car when a man got inside in an alleged attempt to steal the car. As the man drove off, he struck the girl, Tacoma Police Department spokeswoman officer Shelbie Boyd told The News Tribune.
The girl was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
Police located the car a short time later and a pursuit began, Boyd said. Police stopped the car and arrested the man for suspicion of first-degree robbery, possession of a stolen vehicle, eluding and hit and run.
In a post on X at 2:15 p.m. Friday, the Tacoma Police Department also said he was booked into jail on suspicion of resisting arrest, obstructing arrest and assault, and that “possible gun-related charges are pending.” It also provided the following details:
The suspect left the 12-year-old girl unconscious and bleeding while making his escape. Officers found the stolen car near the 3800 block of Pacific Avenue and used an Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) to try to stop the suspect from escaping, but he continued to flee until driving into a dead-end and colliding with a fence near the 600 block of South Wright Street. A PIT is a maneuver police use to safely stop and disable a suspect’s moving vehicle.
Police found a handgun inside the car and a loaded magazine in the suspect’s possession.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include more information from the Tacoma Police Department about the police pursuit.
This story was originally published December 19, 2024 at 9:52 AM.
