TACOMA, Wash. — Four teens were arrested Monday accused of shooting in the direction of a Tacoma officer, leading police on a chase and fleeing on foot before their car caught fire.
Just before 1:30 a.m., a Tacoma Police Department officer was on patrol near South Hosmer Street and 96th Street South when he heard gunshots. Tacoma police said the officer saw a car stop in the roadway and fire several rounds in his direction from an open window.
The officer was not injured.
"We don't take it lightly," said Shelbie Boyd, a Tacoma police officer. "It's scary, it's sad, and it's disheartening, but in the city of Tacoma, it's not a common thing where officers are targeted."
Another Tacoma police officer found the suspect vehicle and pursued it through the city’s east side, into Pierce County and onto state Route 512. As the suspect car rounded a curve on the Steele Street exit, it ran into a ditch.
The suspects fled on foot, and all four were taken into custody.
The suspect vehicle, which police said was stolen, then caught fire. The Tacoma Fire Department responded to put out the blaze, which police said “spread fast.”
During the chase, police said one of the suspects shot himself in the hand.
Police recovered several firearms from the suspects and booked them into property.
Pierce County Sheriff’s Department deputies were able to find the alleged victim of the original shooting, who told the sheriff’s department he was in a vehicle when the suspects started shooting at him, and he shot back. The victim was not injured.
Deputies found 25 shell casings at an apartment complex near the shooting, and bullet holes were found in the victim's car, several other cars and the apartment buildings, according to Pierce County Sheriff’s Sgt. Darren Moss.
The four suspects, who are 14-, 17-, 18- and 19-year-old males, were sent to the hospital before being booked. Charges include aggravated assault, drive-by shooting, unlawful possession of a firearm and possession of stolen property, according to Tacoma police.
"I know that the community is trying to provide situations and trainings and opportunities for our young folks," Boyd said. "Unfortunately, there's an element that is drawing these young folks in into a life of crime, and it's sad because one decision at 14, 15 years old can take away many opportunities as an adult."