Suspect killed after firing shots at WA troopers on I-5

SPANAWAY, Wash. - A man was shot and killed after allegedly firing shots at state troopers on I-5, leading them on a speed chase across Pierce County.

The incident came to a violent end in Spanaway, where the man was fatally shot by law enforcement.

At 10:19 a.m., Washington State Patrol troopers and Pierce County deputies responded to a call for assistance after a trooper was shot at on Highway 512 near Lakewood.

"During the pursuit, deputies and troopers were announcing over the radio that the suspect was continuing to fire shots at all of them," said Sgt. Darren Moss with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department.

The chase ended in Spanaway, where the suspect parked his van at the dead end of 5th Avenue Court East and continued shooting at deputies and troopers. "Fire was returned by officers. The suspect was struck," Moss said. Despite efforts by fire and paramedics to treat him, the suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. No deputies or troopers were hurt.

As investigators worked the scene, multiple bullet holes were found, a nearby home was hit, as well as police vehicles.

"When we have somebody firing at officers and then we start to get behind them and chase them and they continue to fire, that's the most dangerous person that we're dealing with at that time," Moss said. "If they're willing to shoot at officers, troopers, and deputies, they're probably going to hurt anybody and everybody."

The investigation is ongoing, with detectives collecting casings and bullet fragments from multiple scenes. Moss emphasized the danger posed by the suspect. "Even under the old restrictive pursuit laws, we would have been able to pursue this vehicle," Moss said. "He created a clear and present danger to everybody involved, because he’s shooting along a busy highway where anybody could be hit. We’re probably not going to stop until we get that person in custody."

Despite the violent outcome, Moss reiterated that the goal of law enforcement is not to harm people. "It's still very unfortunate that it ended the way that it did because our goal is not to hurt people. Our goal is to try to hold people accountable to the laws. If somebody responds to us with deadly force, we can respond back in kind."

Marcus Cardenas, a 32-year-old witness described the experience as "super jolting." Preparing for a Fourth of July camping trip, his journey was interrupted several times by the pursuit. "The third time I stopped I was like, ‘What is going on?’" Cardenas said.

His SUV's dashcam captured the driver refusing to yield for troopers.

"The guy pulled the gun out of his car and shot the cop car, the state trooper, six or seven times," Cardenas said. "It was right next to my car right as he was passing me."

Caught at a 7-Eleven, Cardenas’s adrenaline kicked in. "Really what went through my mind is getting out of the situation, escaping," he said. "It's kind of scary when you have gunshots going off, the guy's driving and shooting at the cops at the same time, and there's all these bystanders that could get hurt. You have no idea if a stray bullet is gonna hit you or someone in front of you. Clearly, he had no regard for anybody else."

Cardenas, a former military police officer, adhered to his philosophy of evading danger. "My philosophy was always as a civilian, escape, evade. And that's what I did. It was very jolting. Super jolting, like you're checking yourself — ‘Did my car get hit? Did I get hit?’" Cardenas said.

The man has not yet been identified, but deputies indicated he was known to law enforcement. Detectives will continue their investigation for several hours, as the Pierce County Force Investigation Team takes over the case.

The deputies and troopers involved in the shootout will be placed on administrative leave as per protocol.

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This is a developing story. Check back for updates.