Arrest Made In Connection With Bonney Lake Police Shooting

BONNEY LAKE, WA — One man has been arrested and linked by law enforcement to an incident early last week when a Bonney Lake police officer opened fire in the Fred Meyer parking lot.

According to the sheriff's department, the incident began just after 10 a.m. Dec.15. That's when the Bonney Lake officer saw a stolen 1997 Honda Civic in the Fred Meyer parking lot. The car had been reported stolen just the night before in Tacoma.

After confirming that the car was stolen, the officer approached the car. From there, the order of events remains unclear: deputies say the man inside the stolen Honda Civic struck the deputy with the car, and that "shots were fired."

Investigators have confirmed the officer fired his weapon, but have not said if the suspect had a weapon or had opened fire, or if the police officer opened fire in response to being hit. Despite being hit by the car, the officer did not need medical attention.

About 15 minutes after the shooting, a witness called 911 to report that someone had abandoned a vehicle in her driveway along SR 410 in Buckley. Investigators quickly found the car was the same stolen car from the Fred Meyer, and searched the surrounding area with K9 units, but did not find the man.

However, after further investigation, detectives say they identified him as 24-year-old Kenneth Whiteman. On Monday, the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task force says they found Whiteman outside the LaQuinta Hotel in downtown Tacoma, where they took him into custody.

Whiteman has since been booked into the Pierce County Jail. Deputies say he has been charged with first degree assault for hitting the officer with the stolen car.

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department's Force Investigation Team, or PCFIT, continues to investigate the officer's use of force, as is standard procedure whenever an officer uses their firearm.