Authorities search vineyards for 2 who shot at trooper

GRANDVIEW — Authorities were searching among the vineyards of south-central Washington for two men who opened fire on a State Patrol trooper who tried to pull them over for speeding.

The trooper pursued the vehicle for six minutes before it stopped at a home in Grandview, southeast of Yakima, at about 9 p.m. Monday, said Trooper Chris Thorson, a patrol spokesman.

The men got out of the car and started shooting at the trooper, whose cruiser was stopped about 50 feet (15 meters) away, he said. Thorson released a photo of the cruiser Tuesday showing three bullet holes in the passenger side of the windshield, and two more apparent bullet marks on the body of the police car.

The trooper got behind his car and returned fire but was not injured, he said.

“We don’t know if the suspects were hit or not, but they’re not here,” Thorson said. “We still have their vehicle here. We’re writing a search warrant to get inside and hopefully figure out more about who these people are.”

A State Patrol plane was circling overhead, searching for the men amid the vineyards, Thorson said.

The men did not have connection with the people who live at the home where they stopped their vehicle, he said.