PORT TOWNSEND – Things didn’t go well from the outset for an alleged car thief Sunday night.
Deputies got a call around 8:15 that a pickup truck had been stolen from 7 Cedars Casino and the driver was heading east on Highway 101. The callers knew that for a fact because they were following the truck, a black GMC, and happened to be friends of the real owner of the vehicle. By the time the truck made it to the Jefferson County line, deputies were waiting for it. They flashed their lights and that started a high-speed pursuit to Highway 104 toward Hood Canal Bridge.
Deputies report that along the way, a red Dodge Dart tried to cut them off, apparently to help the truck thief, who took another turn onto SR-19 and went into a ditch. The suspect reversed and rammed a deputy before continuing north along 19.
The chase ended in Port Townsend where the suspect abandoned the vehicle and ran but was later found hiding in the trees.
Two people in Dodge Dart, friends of the suspect, were eventually arrested as well.
Charges all-around include attempted vehicular assault, possession of heroin and meth, attempt to elude a police vehicle, and unlawful possession of a firearm.
All three suspects were booked at the Jefferson County Jail.
(JCSO photos of damaged vehicles)