Officers from the Bonney Lake Police Department were involved in a high-speed chase of a stolen vehicle in the early morning hours of Jan. 2. The 28-year-old man driving the stolen vehicle was finally stopped and arrested in Puyallup.

According to a police report, a Bonney Lake officer attempted to stop a white Honda Civic for improperly colored headlights (blue) at 2:45 a.m. in the 19500 block of state Route 410. The officer activated his emergency lights and siren, but the driver of the Honda refused to stop and continued east on state Route 410. A 24-year-old woman was a passenger in the Honda.

In the 21000 block of SR 410 the driver spun the Honda around and began speeding west. There was slush and snow on the road and it was snowing. Two more patrol cars joined the pursuit and, at this point, a dispatcher informed officers that the Honda was stolen.

The vehicle turned onto Sumner-Buckley Highway. The lead officer executed a PIT (pursuit immobilization technique) maneuver between Angeline and 192nd. A PIT maneuver involves an officer nudging the rear of the suspect car, forcing it into a spin. The maneuver was not successful and the Honda continued onto Angeline and turned onto Rhodes Lake Road westbound at speeds up to 45 mph.

The driver merged onto McCutcheon Road and a second PIT maneuver was executed by the Bonney Lake officer. The PIT maneuver worked and the two cars spun around coming to a stop with the Honda and patrol car driver’s doors facing each other.

The officer pulled his weapon and ordered the driver to stop. The man rammed the driver’s door of the patrol car and officers could hear the wheels of the Honda spinning as the suspect rammed the officer’s car three times. The man pulled back onto McCutcheon, the officer followed and the chase resumed.

The man turned the Honda onto state Route 162. The Sumner police attempted to use a spike stripe to stop the Honda, but it was unsuccessful. The vehicle turned onto SR 410 and a Pierce County Sheriff’s deputy became the lead chase vehicle. The man continued westbound toward Puyallup at speeds to 70 mph.

The vehicle turned onto Meridian Avenue in Puyallup traveling at about 50 mph. At Meridian and 9th Avenue Southeast, in front of the Puyallup Fairgrounds, the Bonney Lake officer executed a third PIT maneuver, which was successful. The car spun into the 7-Eleven parking lot at 941 Meridian Ave. and collided with a minivan before coming to a stop.

The man jumped out and ran about 20 yards. An officer ordered him to stop and show his hands. The man complied.

The suspect and his female passenger were taken to the Bonney Lake police station and interviewed.

The woman told the officers the man had picked her up at her residence and they went to Bonney Lake to visit one of his friends. She said the man was stopped at a red light on SR 410 and became impatient and began backing up. He noticed a police vehicle and tried to turn onto 192nd to avoid the officer. She said the man appeared to panic and said, “I’m going to prison for life” as he pressed the accelerator.

The man told the investigators he did not know the car was stolen and had given an “eight ball” or “crank” and $100 for the car to an unknown friend.

The man was charged with first-degree possession of stolen property, felony eluding, driving with a suspended license, hit and run and two counts of first-degree assault. There was also a felony warrant for the man’s arrest issued by the Department of Corrections for escape. The man was booked into the Pierce County jail.

Reach Dennis Box at dbox@courierherald.com or 360-802-8209.