Police & Fire

Suspect rams police car before being captured, jailed

A man who had previously served prison time for a Gig Harbor home burglary is back in jail after fleeing from police and ramming a patrol car during an alleged prowl.

Shortly before 2 a.m. Sunday, Gig Harbor Police officers were dispatched to the Stanich Avenue area to investigate a possible prowler, according to the department. They recognized a truck as one that had fled from police several times in the past two months. Pursuit wasn’t continued then because there was no probable cause for a violent crime.

This time, officers cordoned off the area and prepared to deploy spike strips on the two exit routes from the area before contacting the suspect. As an officer approached in a patrol car, the suspect backed the truck into the cruiser and sped off the road into the woods, where the truck was stopped by a fence.

The man got out and ran, with officers giving chase. One of them saw a rifle in the truck as he raced past, according to the report. An officer shot the suspect with a Taser, but it didn’t affect him. He ran behind the post office, where officers caught up, stunned him again and subdued him.

The 20-year-old Key Peninsula man is well known to local law enforcement, according to the report. He served time for the local residential break-in and has several felony warrants. He was booked into jail on suspicion of first-degree assault, malicious mischief, eluding a police vehicle, possession of another person’s identification, hit and run, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

None of the officers were injured. The patrol car sustained moderate damage.