Pierce County Deputy Shoots Man After Pursuit Near Spanaway

PIERCE COUNTY, WA — A 49-year-old man was shot by a Pierce County deputy Sunday night after fleeing from investigators in Graham, according to Tacoma Police. The sheriff's department said a SWAT team was called to the area of 70th Avenue East, near Mathias Road, on reports of an armed suicidal man in the roadway shortly before 6:30 p.m.

Deputies said the man got in a vehicle and rammed a deputy's SUV before leaving Graham on 8th Avenue East with his lights off. Deputies chased the vehicle and deployed stop sticks, but the man continued to drive on rims at speeds topping 60 mph, according to investigators.

The sheriff's department said several deputies' vehicles were rammed during the pursuit, and shots were fired near Mountain Highway East after a deputy used a PIT maneuver to disable the vehicle. Tacoma Police said one Pierce County deputy shot the suspect and has been placed on paid leave pending the investigation's outcome, per standard procedure. Medics took the man to the hospital in stable condition.

According to Tacoma Police, the suspect was wanted for aggravated assault and had other felony warrants for his arrest.

Further details on the circumstances leading up to the shooting were not immediately released. The Tacoma Police Department is in charge of the investigation, which is Pierce County policy for shootings involving deputies.

Sunday's incident came just one day after the death of Pierce County Deputy Cooper Dyson, who was killed in a crash while rushing to help deputies struggling with a domestic violence suspect in Parkland.