DV suspect rams into patrol car in Thurston County

THURSTON COUNTY, Wash. - Deputies arrested a domestic violence suspect in Thurston County after he smashed a patrol vehicle while attempting to evade capture Tuesday night.

According to Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, deputies were dispatched to a domestic violence assault near Yelm Hwy SE. Deputies learned that the suspect stole a vehicle from a family member, made suicidal statements and fled the scene after pouring gasoline all over his body.

Deputies arrested a domestic violence suspect in Thurston County after he smashed a patrol vehicle while attempting to evade capture Tuesday night.
According to Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, deputies were dispatched to a domestic violence assault near Yelm Hwy SE. Deputies learned that the suspect stole a vehicle from a family member, made suicidal statements and fled the scene after pouring gasoline all over his body. Probable cause was then established for fourth-degree domestic violence (DV), second-degree malicious mischief DV and taking a car without permission.
According to Sheriff Sanders, the suspect has had prior run-ins with Thurston County deputies in the past. The last time he was contacted by law enforcement, he tried to run over and kill a deputy with a bulldozer and ended up damaging a patrol car. The suspect had just been released from prison after serving a two-year sentence for that incident.
Deputies searched an area in Yelm that the suspect is known to frequent and found him inside the stolen car. The suspect was immediately uncompliant with deputies, and efforts to get him to surrender were unsuccessful.
The suspect fled onto trails on the property and deputies initiated a pursuit. The suspect then turned his car around and rammed into a patrol vehicle head-on – causing minor injuries to a K9 Mac and his handler. The suspect rammed into the patrol vehicle hard enough that the front driver’s side wheel was sheared off completely and landed about 50 feet away from the impact point. Eventually, deputies were able to forcefully remove the suspect from the car and place him in a WRAP restraint. He was then taken to the Thurston County Jail where he was booked for the previously mentioned charges, in addition to a first-degree assault with a deadly weapon charge that was added after he crashed into the patrol car.

Photo: Thurston County Sheriff's Department

Probable cause was then established for fourth-degree domestic violence (DV), second-degree malicious mischief DV, and taking a car without permission.

Sheriff Sanders said the suspect had prior run-ins with Thurston County deputies. The last time he was contacted by law enforcement, he tried to run over a deputy with a bulldozer and ended up damaging a patrol car. The suspect had just been released from prison after serving a two-year sentence for that incident.

Deputies searched an area in Yelm that the suspect is known to frequent and found him inside the stolen vehicle.

The suspect was immediately noncompliant with deputies, and efforts to get him to surrender were unsuccessful. The suspect fled onto trails on the property, and deputies initiated a pursuit.

Photo: Thurston County Sheriff's Department

The suspect then turned his car around and rammed into a patrol vehicle head-on – causing minor injuries to K9 Mac and his handler. The suspect rammed into the patrol vehicle hard enough that the front driver’s side wheel was sheared off completely and landed about 50 feet away from the impact point.

Eventually, deputies were able to remove the suspect from the car and place him in a WRAP restraint.

He was then taken to Thurston County Jail where he was booked for the previously mentioned charges, in addition to a first-degree assault with a deadly weapon charge that was added after he crashed into the patrol car.

"Great work by our deputies to take a homicidal suspect into custody not once, but twice now, without using deadly force," Sheriff Sanders wrote on his Facebook page.

Sheriff Sanders added that while his deputies were responding to this call, the few remaining deputies in the county were already tied up responding to two additional DV calls. Sanders said because of this, 15 total 911 calls were left unanswered with no deputies available to respond.