High-speed pursuit in Lacey/Olympia ends in a head-on crash, one person is dead

LACEY, Wash. — A woman with 47 prior arrests has been arrested again after leading police on a high-speed chase through Lacey/Olympia. According to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, she crashed head-on with another driver, sending one person to the hospital in critical condition.

Around 4 p.m. on Saturday, deputies from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) received a call about a suspicious car in the Meadows Neighborhood in Lacey.

According to TCSO, the caller told deputies that an unknown female showed up in a black truck asking for fentanyl and tried to run her over in her own driveway before driving off.

When deputies found the truck, the suspect was driving erratically with what looked like a flat tire, Sheriff Sanders wrote in a Facebook post.

When deputies ran the plates, the truck came back stolen from King County.

As deputies attempted to pull her over, she sped away starting a high-speed pursuit through the streets of Lacey and Olympia.

“We were on our way, driving home. We saw a car flying through the lanes way over the speed limit and almost hit us, " said Robert, who was a passenger in a car traveling in the same direction. “There were over five sheriff trucks chasing after the guy and then when we passed the statue of Lacey, I saw a police officer with one of those tools they use to pop the tire.”

Traveling west on Pacific Avenue Southeast near the Lacey/Olympia city limit, an Olympia police officer threw out a spike strip hitting the suspect’s truck.

With her two right tires flat and a trail of sparks coming from the truck, the suspect kept moving at high speed nearly hitting other cars on the road.

As the driver approached the intersection of Pacific Avenue Southeast and Fones Road Southeast, she was traveling on the wrong side of the road and crashed head-on with another car.

The suspect then got out of the truck and started to run on foot but was quickly captured.

According to Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Dattilo, three people in the car struck by the suspect were injured, with one passenger transported to the hospital in critical condition.

In a news release, TCSO said the passenger had died.

The suspect had minor injuries and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation. Trooper Dattilo said that after her evaluation, she was going to jail.

Sheriff Sanders wrote that the suspect had a total of 47 arrests on her record, of which 4 were felonies and 23 were gross misdemeanors.

The suspect also has warrants out of Seattle, Renton and Issaquah and was driving on a suspended license.

Thurston County Public Works closed Lilly Road Southeast between Pacific Avenue Southeast and Interstate 5 for the investigation to be completed.

TCSO is recommending charges of murder in the second degree, two counts of vehicular manslaughter, felony hit-and-run, assault in the second degree and driving on a suspended license.

“Our thoughts are with those affected by this senseless tragedy,” said Derek Sanders, Thurston County Sheriff. “We are working closely with WSP to ensure all aspects of this incident are fully investigated.”

©2024 Cox Media Group