Hoquiam Police Department engages in slow-speed pursuit

Published 1:30 am Monday, June 15, 2026

On Friday night at about 10:11 p.m., a Hoquiam Police officer observed a vehicle driving northbound on Lincoln Street with no headlights on while traveling at 25 miles per hour in the 30 mph zone.

The officer initiated a traffic stop for the violations. According to the Hoquiam Police Department, driving without headlights at a slow speed at night is often an indication of an intoxicated driver.

The driver initially pulled over but then pulled back out onto the road and continued northbound. The officer activated his siren but the vehicle failed to stop. It again pulled over in the 800 block of Lincoln Street, but again pulled back onto the road and continued northbound. A Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s deputy joined the pursuit.

The vehicle continued onto U.S. Highway 101 and then turned onto the state Route 109 spur. The Hoquiam Police Department officer used a Pursuit Intervention Technique to stop the fleeing vehicle. The sole occupant of the vehicle, a female driver, was taken into custody.

The driver was under the influence but claimed to be a “Sovereign Citizen” and did not recognize law enforcement’s authority to stop and detain her. “She was wrong,” Hoquiam Police Department stated in a Facebook post.