Tacoma police shoot, kill carjacking suspect Saturday afternoon
Carjacking suspect killed by police
Police shot and killed a suspect after he allegedly carjacked two people and then led officers on a chase across Pierce County. One victim, a 67 year old woman, had to go to the hospital after all of this. Alejandra Guzman spoke to her son, who says he watched the whole thing unfold during a video chat.
TACOMA, Wash. - A man is dead after police say he carjacked two people and led officers on a high-speed pursuit across multiple cities in Pierce County Saturday afternoon.
Timeline:
The incident began around 12:30 p.m. when authorities say the man carjacked a woman off Pacific Avenue in unincorporated Pierce County. That victim, a 67-year-old woman, was hospitalized and is recovering.
Her son, Isaid Campos, told FOX 13 he witnessed the terrifying ordeal via video chat from Mexico.
"It happened in about 5 to 10 seconds and after that I'd seen my mom on the ground and I couldn't do anything," Campos said.
Campos said his mother was talking to him as a man approached her car.
"My mom was asking why he's just like ‘get off the car, get off the car,’" Campos said.
Campos said his mother turned the phone, briefly showing the man whom he says was armed.
"It was a weapon but I couldn't see if it was a knife or gun but he had something on his right hand," Campos said.
The carjacking, which took place off Portland Avenue, was caught on camera. Campos said the man yanked his mother out of the car by her jacket and threw her to the ground.
"She got up and walked out of the way. If she would’ve stayed in the same place where she landed she probably would’ve been run over by the car," Campos said.
The suspect didn’t make it far. Police say he crashed the stolen vehicle at 56th Street and Pacific Avenue in Tacoma, where the airbags deployed and the front end of the car was severely damaged.
What they're saying:
Authorities say he then carjacked another person and continued fleeing. A Tacoma police officer spotted him and began a pursuit that continued into Puyallup. Officers from Puyallup Police Department joined the chase and deployed spike strips.
The chase ended off Valley Ave in Puyallup.
"From what I understand when he got out of the car, [he] initially went away from them, turned and came back towards them with the weapon, and they had given him commands, and that's when shots were fired," Sgt. Charles Porche, with the Pierce County Force Investigation Team (PCFIT) and the Lakewood Police Department, said.
No officers were injured in the shooting. Authorities have not yet said how many officers fired their weapons or how many shots were discharged. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released, and investigators are still working to determine who he was.
"To have this particular level of violence with the carjackings involved in many different jurisdictions is not normal," Sgt. Porche said.
As of Saturday evening, police have not identified the man or disclosed what type of weapon he had during the carjackings or when he confronted officers.
Authorities have also not yet determined the speed of the pursuit, but acknowledged it was likely fast-paced.
The number of officers placed on administrative leave will depend on how many discharged their weapons. An exact count has not yet been confirmed.
Each incident is being handled by the law enforcement agency in the respective jurisdiction. The PCFIT has taken over the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
FOX 13 will continue to update this story as more information becomes available.
The Source: Information for this article comes from the Tacoma Police Department and City of Puyallup.
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