A suspect is in custody following a series of crimes – including two armed robberies, a high-speed chase, and shots fired at Deputies near an elementary school – in the Lacey area on Friday afternoon.
It all started when Thurston County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to an armed robbery at Buddie’s Grocery, the Shell station on the corner of Martin & Carpenter, around 2:00 pm. The suspect had fled the scene in a vehicle. This is the second armed robbery at this location in the last six weeks.
Deputies attempted to contact the suspect vehicle at the Arco station on Martin Way near Ranger, according to scanner traffic. The vehicle fled northbound on Hensley St and crashed near Olympic View Elementary School.
Deputies attempted to chase the suspect on foot. It was at this time he fired shots at the Deputies as he was carjacking a Toyota Tundra on Horne St NE. The suspect successfully carjacked the vehicle and fled east on Martin Way and eventually onto I-5 northbound.
He was pursued to the area of Exit 120 in Lakewood at speeds of 100+ mph but Deputies and officers from assisting agencies eventually lost sight of the vehicle. They requested assistance from the WSP plane, Smokey, and King County’s Guardian One helicopter, but both were unable to fly.
A few hours later, officers in Tacoma got in a pursuit with the vehicle and the suspect was apprehended, according to a post on the Thurston County Sheriff Facebook page.
The suspect was booked into the Thurston County Jail on multiple charges of armed robbery, armed burglary, motor vehicle theft, possession of a stolen firearm, eluding a police vehicle, and several other charges.
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