A brief but wild chase in Tacoma ended with a scene straight out of an action movie, when a man tried to keep his truck from being towed by jumping into the tow rig and attempting to drive off with the pickup still chained behind him. Deputies had already stopped the fleeing Ford once with a PIT maneuver, then watched the driver ditch the scene, circle back, and make a desperate play for the tow truck before he was finally chased down on foot and booked on a stack of fresh charges.
How the chase ended
According to video posted by the Tacoma Traffic Division on Facebook, a traffic deputy used a PIT maneuver near 72nd Street East and Canyon Road at about 10:30 a.m., briefly spinning out and stopping a Ford F-150 that deputies said had fled from Tacoma police. The driver bolted from the pickup and ran toward a dead-end road, then doubled back to the scene. As a tow operator began hooking up the Ford, the man climbed into the tow truck and tried to drive away. The reel shows the tow chain snapping and being dragged behind the pickup before deputies chased the suspect down on foot and took him into custody.
PIT maneuvers and pursuit rules
The precision immobilization technique is a common tool to end vehicle pursuits, but it can be unpredictable and, at times, dangerous, with national coverage tying the tactic to fatal crashes. The Washington Post has explored those risks in depth, while state and local reporting note that Washington lawmakers and police agencies have updated pursuit standards and training in recent legislative sessions. HeraldNet reports that those changes form part of the backdrop for decisions about when tactics like PIT can be used.
Charges, record and tow operator damage
The Tacoma Traffic Division post says the suspect, a 44-year-old man, now faces Washington charges that include eluding, obstruction of an officer, resisting arrest, reckless driving and driving without a valid license. Deputies also booked him on a felony malicious mischief allegation over damage to the tow truck. The post notes he had active felony warrants out of California tied to multiple motor vehicle thefts. After the brief foot chase, deputies arrested him and booked him into Pierce County Jail, according to the division. The tow operator and wrecker were both damaged when the chain snapped and was dragged during the attempted getaway, the video shows…