Police Pursuit Through Bonney Lake Ends on Sumner Freeway Exit

The westbound exit ramp to Traffic Ave. in Sumner is temporarily shut down today due to police activity, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.

Patch spoke with Sumner Police Chief John Galle, who said that it was the result of a pursuit that began in the Bonney Lake area and ended at the Sumner exit.

The suspect was a target of the South King County Auto Task Force and was being monitored by a detective in an unmarked police car outside a residence in the Bonney Lake area. The suspect attempted to leave in a stolen vehicle parked in the driveway.

When police attempted to pull him over, the suspect sped up and rammed the stolen car into the unmarked auto theft task force vehicle. He led police on a full pursuit through Bonney Lake and to the westbound Traffic Ave. exit off SR 410 in Sumner.

While being chased by police, the man threw a gun out of his window on SR 410, south of Meyers Road, according to East Pierce Fire and Rescue. A fire chief happened to be on the road at the time in his truck and pulled over to guard the gun, which was in the middle of the road, until police could arrive and collect the evidence.

Galle said that as he took the onramp, the tail end of his vehicle began to spin out and police nudged his car to make him lose control. The suspect hit two Bonney Lake patrol cars before he was apprehended and arrested.

A Bonney Lake police officer is currently being treated at a hospital for sustaining an injury in the crash. The suspect is described as a male in his ‘50s. 

Members of the Puyallup, Sumner and Bonney Lake police are on the scene, in addition to South King County Auto Task Force officers and the Department of Transportation. Drivers should expect delays through the area for the next few hours while the investigation is underway.