SPANAWAY, Wash. — A Pierce County deputy was involved in a shooting in Spanaway early Thursday morning. The shooting happened shortly after 3 a.m. on Military Road, just east of Pacific Avenue.
According to Pierce County Detective Ed Troyer, a deputy attempted to pull over a 26-year-old man who was driving recklessly at a high rate of speed. Troyer said the man wouldn’t pull over and the deputy did a “pit maneuver” to stop the vehicle.
When the deputy got out of their vehicle, the suspect pulled his car around and started driving toward the deputy. Troyer said that’s when the deputy fired at the suspect.
“Our deputy fired some shots, and the car turned the corner and hit the guidewire on a telephone pole and flipped the car over upside-down,” Troyer said.
The suspect then got out of the car and fled from the scene. A K9 unit was able to track the suspect a few blocks away where he was taken into custody.
The suspect was not hit by gunfire and no deputies were injured. The suspect was transported to the hospital and treated for minor injuries.
“The suspect, considering that he flipped his car, got caught by a K9, and some shots were fired, is very lucky and is OK, too,” Troyer said.
Authorities said the suspect had felony warrants and believe he was intoxicated when the incident occurred.
“We had him stopped," Troyer said. "I mean he could’ve just gave up and it would’ve been fine. But the driver instigated this, finished it, and he’s lucky to be alive after flipping his car over upside-down on the side of the road."
Military Road was closed for several hours during the investigation but has since reopened.