Five gang members arrested following chase in Thurston County
Multiple police agencies worked together to stop five armed gang members in the early morning hours on Thursday.
According to the Thurston County Sheriff's Office, Olympia PD initially tried to stop a reckless driver on State Route 8 but the driver started to flee.
During the pursuit, Thurston Sheriffs joined the chase, threw out a spike strip, and flattened three of the driver's tires.
Police dash cam shows sparks flying from the suspects' car before a Thurston Sheriff conducted a pit maneuver, sending it off the road into a tree.
Five people ran out of the car wearing ski masks and dark clothes, at least one was armed with a handgun.
Police K9s were deployed and managed to catch all five suspects with the help of a drone equipped with a thermal camera.
After the chase, police learned that the five individuals were affiliated with a gang and traveled from King County with a plan to do a smash-and-grab burglary at a local Thurston County cannabis store.
They were found with a handgun, a short barrel AR-15 with the serial number removed, ammunition, and large black garbage bags.
In all, five police agencies were involved in the chase and charged the suspects with a range of crimes including eluding a police vehicle, unlawful possession of firearms, and obstructing law enforcement, among others.
Three are adults, one is a juvenile and one did not identify themselves.
Pursuit
TCSO PURSUES, SPIKES, AND CAPTURES 5 ARMED GANG MEMBERS FROM KING COUNTY BEFORE THEY CAN COMMIT SMASH AND GRAB BURGLARY Early this morning, Olympia Police attempted to stop a reckless driver on the west side. The driver fled the traffic stop, and made the poor decision to continue driving recklessly in front of a TCSO deputy. The driver attempted to flee our traffic stop as well, and I authorized a pursuit. The vehicle fled down SR8 toward Grays Harbor, then conducted a U-turn back toward Olympia. I spiked the vehicle as it returned, flattening 3 tires. TCSO conducted a PIT maneuver, parking the suspect vehicle firmly into a tree. Five suspects wearing dark clothing and ski masks bailed on foot, with at least one of them armed with a handgun. K9 Igo was sent after the driver and made multiple K9 contacts. He was taken into custody. Passenger #2 and #3 heard K9 Igo and surrendered. Passenger number 3 was pinned in by perimeter units in heavy brush. OPD responded with a thermal equipped drone and guided us in until he was persuaded into custody by K9 Igo. Passenger number 5 was located by K9 Igo hiding in a shed he broke into. K9 Igo also found a backpack the suspects tried to hide, containing a handgun and a short barrel AR15 with the serial number scratched off. A search warrant for the car was obtained by OPD, which yielded ammunition and large black garbage bags. The license plate on the vehicle had blue tape altering some of the characters in an attempt to avoid detection. After conducting interviews, it was determined that the suspects came to Thurston County from King County to conduct a smash and grab on a local cannabis store. The driver was treated and released from the hospital for K9 bites. The suspects have all been booked on crimes ranging from attempting to elude a police vehicle, conspiracy to commit burglary 1st with a deadly weapon, burglary 2nd (shed), unlawful possession of firearms, obstructing law enforcement, and more. Three of the suspects are adults, one is a juvenile, and one refused to ID themselves. Washington State Patrol, Evergreen State Police, Olympia Police, Thurston 911, and TCSO worked seamlessly together on this call to ensure all five suspects were captured. Nice job by everyone to prevent a smash and grab burglary from terrorizing our local businesses.
Posted by Sheriff Sanders on Thursday, February 27, 2025
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