SR 12 high speed chase ends with K-9 pursuit, Longview man collared

Elma Police, deputies, ‘Max’ catch suspect in McCleary after Weds morning chase

By Dan Hammock • December 1, 2016 1:30 am
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With the assistance of Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office K-9 service dog Max and his handler, Deputy Tracy Gay, deputies and Elma Police were able to track down and arrest a man who fled from officers Wednesday morning. The suspect led officers on a chase down State Route 12, reaching speeds up to 85 mph before being arrested in a wooded area just inside the McCleary city limits.
With the assistance of Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office K-9 service dog Max and his handler, Deputy Tracy Gay, deputies and Elma Police were able to track down and arrest a man who fled from officers Wednesday morning. The suspect led officers on a chase down State Route 12, reaching speeds up to 85 mph before being arrested in a wooded area just inside the McCleary city limits.

A high speed chase Wednesday morning began with a Sheriff’s Deputy spotting a man outside his car near the Porter Creek fire station and ended with officers from multiple agencies and a K-9 named Max taking a Longview man and a female passenger into custody.

According to a report from Chief Criminal Deputy Steve Shumate, “Deputy Tracy Gay observed a black colored Honda Civic parked just off of Porter Creek Road near the Porter Creek fire station. A male subject was standing outside the vehicle; however, after seeing the patrol vehicle, the man quickly got back into the Honda and headed toward State Route 12.” This took place at 10:12 a.m.

The Honda tore off at a high rate of speed and failed to stop at the stop sign at State Route 12, turning west toward Elma. Shumate says Gay attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver “failed to yield to the emergency lights and siren of the patrol vehicle,” instead accelerating to speeds up to 85 mph.

Elma Police officers Kevin Tuggle and Steve Miller responded to two separate locations just south of the city limits and set up spike strips. The first set, near Twidwell Road, were avoided by the suspect; when the speeding car saw the spike strips near Buswell Road, “he swerved toward Officer Tuggle, who had to jump out of the way to avoid being struck by the vehicle,” said Shumate. Again, the suspect was able to avoid the spike strips.

At this point officers were informed the vehicle had possibly been stolen in Thurston County. “Deputy Gay continued to pursue the vehicle, which had turned east on Elma-McCleary Road and continued at a high rate of speed toward McCleary. Officer Tuggle assisted with the pursuit,” said Shumate.

The suspect vehicle slowed when it entered the McCleary city limits and turned into the Rainbow Park apartment complex. The car became high-centered after traveling over a curb and into a grassy field. At that point the driver exited the car and tried to escape into a nearby wooded area.

“Unfortunately for the suspect, Deputy Gay is also our department’s K-9 officer,” said Shumate. “The suspect was given a command to stop; however he failed to do so. Max, our police service dog, was utilized to locate and apprehend the suspect.”

Max had little trouble finding the suspect in the brush. The suspect, however, grabbed Max’s collar and proceeded to choke the dog. Deputy Gay caught up and fought off the suspect while attempting to free Max. Officer Tuggle arrived and the three were able to subdue the suspect, who fought both officers and Max the entire time, according to Shumate.

The 29-year old man arrested was suspected to be under the influence of drugs and had a felony warrant for his arrest. He was taken to Summit Pacific Medical Center in Elma for treatment of minor injuries, then transported to the county jail. There he was booked for a long list of offenses, including Attempting to Elude a Police Vehicle, Assault 2nd degree (for attempting to hit Officer Tuggle), Harming a Police Dog, Resisting Arrest, Driving with a Suspended License, and Driving Under the Influence.

“There was a female passenger in the suspect vehicle that also had felony warrants,” said Shumate. “She was arrested on those warrants and booked into the county jail. The vehicle was impounded and a search warrant is pending due to evidence of drug possession in the vehicle. The suspect vehicle ended up not being a signed stolen vehicle; however, it appears to have been taken from the Lakewood area without the owner’s knowledge.” The male and female arrested are suspects in another stolen vehicle case in Thurston County “and appear to have been involved in another pursuit earlier with Thurston County,” added Shumate.

None of the officers – including Max – were injured during the pursuit and subsequent arrests. “They all did an exceptional job getting this suspect off of the streets,” concluded Shumate.

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