by A high-speed pursuit of a stolen vehicle ended dramatically on Interstate 5 Thursday after Thurston County deputies deployed a grappler device to stop the fleeing car.
The chase began when Olympia police received a license plate reader alert about a stolen vehicle. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the suspect sped away, leading law enforcement on a dangerous chase that reached speeds of up to 130 mph, according to Sheriff Derek Sanders.
The pursuit moved from Highway 101 onto I-5, with the suspect driving erratically, at times veering onto the shoulder. Deputies deployed spike strips and positioned cruisers equipped with grappler bumper systems, a tool that launches a strap around a car’s rear tire to bring it to a stop.
Dash cam footage from the sheriff’s office captured the intense moment when a deputy’s cruiser closed in on the suspect vehicle and successfully deployed the grappler. The stolen car swerved uncontrollably before coming to a halt.
The driver, who had multiple warrants out of King County for domestic violence and assault, was taken into custody and charged with possession of a stolen vehicle and attempting to elude law enforcement.
