Man suspected of shooting at Lakewood police charged with assault

A 24-year-old man suspected of shooting at a Lakewood police officer during a pursuit has been charged with first-degree assault and other crimes.

Gabriel Salvador Ramirez of Tacoma pleaded not guilty Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court to the assault count and charges of drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm and attempting to elude police.

Court Commissioner Meagan Foley set bail at $1 million.

No one was hurt in the shooting or chase, which occurred Sunday.

Charging documents give this account:

A Lakewood police officer tried to pull over a minivan near South Tacoma Way and state Route 512. Instead of stopping, the driver sped onto Interstate 5 with the officer in pursuit. The officer reported someone inside the vehicle was shooting at him.

At one point, the minivan exited I-5 and made a U-turn back toward the officer, who fired shots of his own, a number of which hit the minivan.

The minivan drove on, pursued by another Lakewood officer. The fleeing vehicle drove at high speed through a construction zone and an apartment-complex playground before it hit a building. The driver finally stopped, got out and ran.

Ramirez ultimately was identified as the driver and arrested.

Video obtained from a camera in the first officer’s patrol car “supports the account of shots being fired from the suspect vehicle he was pursuing,” deputy prosecutor Hugh Birgenheier wrote in a declaration for probable cause.

In addition, forensics experts found six spent shell casings inside the minivan, Birgenheier wrote.

A warrant for Ramirez’s arrest had been issued two days before the chase after he failed to show up for a court date stemming from a felony drug charge he’s facing, court records show.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 12:24 PM with the headline "Man suspected of shooting at Lakewood police charged with assault."