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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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Officers shoot at mental patient later taken into custody

Tacoma police say he assaulted staff members at facility, tried to run down two officers

The Columbian
Published:

TACOMA — Tacoma police said a mental health patient assaulted three staff members Friday, carjacked a woman in the Stadium District and tried to run down two police officers, prompting one of the officers to shoot at him.

The incident started about 10:25 a.m. at Comprehensive Life Resources in the 600 block of South Yakima Avenue when a patient allegedly went berserk.

The man, in his 30s, assaulted at least three staff members, causing significant injuries.

“He then went outside and damaged the building by throwing huge rocks and assaulted staff trying to intervene,” police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said.

Next, the man allegedly yanked a woman driving a Ford Taurus out of the car and sped away.

Nine minutes later, two officers responding to an unrelated call at North 4th Street and North Yakima Avenue radioed dispatch to report nearly being run over by a white Ford Taurus.

One of the officers, fearing for his life, fired an unknown number of shots at the fleeing vehicle. Police are not sure whether any bullets struck the suspect.

The description of the driver matched the description of the mental patient who attacked staff members.

Police followed the Taurus onto northbound Interstate 705 but the man began driving the wrong way into oncoming traffic. Officers eventually lost sight of him and notified surrounding agencies.

Sheriff’s deputies later spotted the car on Mountain Highway and took him into custody.

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