A routine traffic stop in Pierce County escalated into a chase that left four people in the hospital, including a sheriff's deputy. The incident began just before 5:30 the previous evening near Steele Street South in Tacoma. What started as an ordinary attempt to pull a vehicle over quickly turned into a pursuit through the area, ending with several people hurt and a driver in custody.
According to deputies, they tried to stop a car that would not yield. As the vehicle failed to pull over, deputies were able to get a tracking device onto the car. The move was meant to keep tabs on the vehicle as the situation began to escalate beyond a standard traffic stop.
The suspect then fled, and at one point tried to remove the tracking device from the car. Despite that, the sheriff's office said the pursuit continued as the driver pressed on through the area. Deputies stayed with the fleeing vehicle as it moved away from the original stop location.
The sheriff's office said the chase continued onto Pacific Avenue South, where the fleeing driver crashed. After the collision, the driver bailed out of the car and tried to run away on foot. Deputies caught up to the driver, a 22-year-old, and took the person into custody at the scene.
The crash did not end with the fleeing vehicle alone. It caused a second car to catch fire, and several people inside that second vehicle were injured. The collision turned a busy stretch of Pacific Avenue South into the scene of a serious emergency response.
In all, four people were taken to the hospital, including a deputy and two children. The suspect is now facing DUI charges, and deputies said more charges could follow as the case develops. Investigators are continuing to piece together exactly how the traffic stop spiraled into a chase and crash that injured several people, among them young children.