TACOMA — The carjacking suspect who led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a fiery crash Monday on Interstate 5 was charged with four crimes Tuesday.
Randy Faoato Tipa, 26, was charged with first-degree robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm in the second degree, second-degree identity theft and attempting to elude a police vehicle..
Prosecutors said Tipa had two warrants out for his arrest before Monday’s chain of events. One involved a stolen vehicle charge from March.
Charging documents said Monday’s crime spree began around 11:30 a.m. in Orangegate Park when a woman told police that a man “came out of nowhere,” brandished a pistol and demanded her keys, phone, wallet and purse. The suspect then started her Toyota Corolla.
The victim fled the area and flagged down a passing car for help.
Because the victim had an AirTag tracking device in her vehicle, Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies were able to locate the unoccupied car at a Federal Way shopping area and watch it. When the suspect and a woman entered the car, deputies surrounded it with vehicles and personnel.
Officials say Tipa then was able to drive over a curb, push a police vehicle out of the way and fled the scene after driving over stop sticks — devices meant to flatten tires. Deputies pursued him.
Tipa allegedly entered I-5 and drove south to Pierce County with police from several agencies in pursuit. The car wove in and out of traffic at speeds up 100 miles per hour. The suspect sideswiped one car and knocked its side view mirror off.
With a superior’s permission, a deputy used a PIT maneuver to knock the car off the road just south of the South 56th Street interchange. The Toyota spun and ended up in dry grass. The grass immediately caught fire and Tipa allegedly fled the vehicle leaving the woman inside.
A deputy chased Tipa and caught him 100 yards from the crash scene.
Meanwhile, the Toyota became fully involved in fire and that set two police vehicles on fire. All three vehicles were totaled. No police personnel were injured.
A semi-automatic handgun was found near the vehicle. Tipa is not permitted to possess a gun.
“After being told that there was a female in the stolen car, one of the officers forced open the passenger rear door and found the female, identified a(s) C.C., in the back seat, dry heaving and panicked due to the smoke,” the papers state. The deputy pulled the woman from the car.
The victim identified Tipa as the man who allegedly robbed her.
Bail was set at $250,000.
