Man speeding through school zone found to have felony warrant related to Aberdeen musuem firearms theft

October 8, 2019 4:30 pm
COURTESY HOQUIAM POLICE DEPARTMENT The man driving this minivan attempted to elude a Hoquiam Police officer after speeding through a school zone Tuesday morning. After a short pursuit which ended with the minivan crashing into an Eklund Avenue home and a brief foot pursuit, it was discovered the man had an outstanding felony warrant related to the theft of firearms from the Aberdeen Museum of History after the June 9, 2018 fire.
COURTESY HOQUIAM POLICE DEPARTMENT The man driving this minivan attempted to elude a Hoquiam Police officer after speeding through a school zone Tuesday morning. After a short pursuit which ended with the minivan crashing into an Eklund Avenue home and a brief foot pursuit, it was discovered the man had an outstanding felony warrant related to the theft of firearms from the Aberdeen Museum of History after the June 9, 2018 fire.

A 57-year-old Aberdeen man attempting to elude police after speeding through a Lincoln Elementary school zone Tuesday morning was found to have an outstanding felony warrant related to firearms stolen from the Aberdeen Museum of History after it was destroyed by fire, according to Hoquiam Police Jeff Myers.

A Hoquiam officer spotted a silver Oldsmobile minivan doing 30 in a 20 mph school zone shortly after 8:30 a.m. Myers said when the officer attempted to stop the minivan on Lincoln Street at Dion Avenue, “the driver instead refused to stop and continued southbound on Lincoln Street at 35 mph.”

At Chenault Avenue, the driver suddenly made a right turn down the narrow street before transitioning onto Bluff Alley and then accelerated, said Myers. At the intersection of Bluff Alley and Center Street, “the suspect apparently tried to cut the corner over a berm between the two streets, causing the van to launch airborne onto Center Street and then into the side of a house in the 700 block of Eklund Avenue,” said Myers.

The van came to rest against the side of the house, causing visible exterior damage. The home was occupied at the time, but none of the residents were injured, said Myers.

The entire pursuit lasted 17 seconds.

“The suspect fled the van on foot via a nearby alley where he was apprehended by Officer (Dennis) Luce after a brief struggle,” said Myers.

It was determined the man was wanted on an outstanding felony warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm; suspected methamphetamine was also located on his person. The felony arrest warrant on the suspect was related to firearms stolen from the Aberdeen Museum of History after the fire in 2018, said Myers.

The van was impounded and transported to the Hoquiam Police Department where detectives were applying for a search warrant based on additional evidence visible in the vehicle Tuesday morning, said Myers. After being medically cleared at the hospital, the suspect was to be booked at the Grays Harbor County jail on numerous felony charges.