Suspect killed after shooting at police on I-5

SPANAWAY, Washington. – A man was shot and killed after allegedly firing at state police officers on I-5, leading them on a chase through Pierce County.

The incident ended violently in Spanaway, where the man was shot dead by police.

At 10:19 a.m., Washington State Patrol and Pierce County officers responded to a call for assistance after an officer was shot on Highway 512 near Lakewood.

“During the chase, officers and police radioed that the suspect continued to shoot at all of them,” said Sergeant Darren Moss of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

The pursuit ended in Spanaway, where the suspect parked his van at the end of 5th Avenue Court East and continued to fire at officers and police officers. “The officers returned fire. The suspect was hit,” Moss said. Despite efforts by firefighters and paramedics to treat him, the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers and police officers were not injured.

Upon examining the scene, investigators found multiple bullet holes and a nearby home and police vehicles had been hit.

“If someone is shooting at police officers and then we get behind them and pursue them and they keep shooting, that’s the most dangerous person we’re dealing with,” Moss said. “If they’re willing to shoot at police officers, patrol officers and deputies, they’re probably going to hurt everybody.”

The investigation is ongoing, and detectives are collecting shell casings and bullet fragments from multiple crime scenes. Moss stressed the danger posed by the suspect. “Even under the old restrictive pursuit laws, we could have pursued that vehicle,” Moss said. “He created a clear and present danger to everyone involved because he’s shooting on a busy highway where anyone could be hit. We’re not likely to stop until we have the individual in custody.”

Despite the violent outcome, Moss reiterated that the goal of law enforcement is not to hurt people. “It’s still very unfortunate that it ended this way because our goal is not to hurt people. Our goal is to hold people accountable for following the law. If someone responds to us with deadly force, we can retaliate in kind.”

Marcus Cardenas, a 32-year-old witness, described the experience as “super harrowing.” While preparing for a Fourth of July camping trip, his trip was interrupted several times by the pursuit. “The third time I stopped, I thought, ‘What’s going on?'” Cardenas said.

The dashcam of his SUV recorded the driver refusing to give way to the police.

“The guy pulled the gun out of his car and shot the patrol car and the officer six or seven times,” Cardenas said. “It was right next to my car as he drove by me.”

When he was caught in a 7-Eleven, Cardenas’ adrenaline was pumping. “I was really thinking about getting out of the situation, running away,” he said. “It’s kind of scary when shots are being fired, the guy is driving and shooting at the cops at the same time, and all these bystanders could get hurt. You never know if a stray bullet is going to hit you or someone in front of you. He obviously had no regard for others.”

Cardenas, a former military policeman, stuck to his philosophy of avoiding danger. “My philosophy as a civilian was always: flee, get out of the way. And that’s what I did. It was very harrowing. Super harrowing, like checking yourself – ‘Was my car hit? Was I hit?'” Cardenas said.

The man has not yet been identified, but officials said he is known to law enforcement. Detectives will continue their investigation for several more hours while the Pierce County Force Investigation Team takes over the case.

The deputies and police officers involved in the shooting are being placed on leave as per protocol.

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