Police: Fife home invasion suspects threw cat against the wall as warning to victim

Armed home invasion turns into chase in stolen Fife Police car, ends with multiple cop cars destroyed

A home invasion suspect escaped from Fife Police, stole a patrol car, then smashed the stolen cop car into a Washington State Patrol unit, investigators said.

FIFE, Wash. - Fife Police arrested three people who allegedly broke into a home and physically threatened a resident after throwing her cat against a wall. This was all before the suspects drove off, with one of them stealing a police car and leading officers on a high-speed chase.

On June 15, officers responded to a 911 call from a resident of a home in the 5800 block of 4th Street E. The resident said three people wearing hoodies and masks broke into the home through a window and that they could hear their roommate being assaulted somewhere in the home.

"The victim was calling 911. At that point, she was able to barricade herself in the bathroom. She was also the first one to let us know that one of the suspects was armed with a handgun," said assistant chief Aaron Gardner with the Fife Police Department.

The victim later told police that one of the men picked up her cat and tossed it against a wall and told her that if she didn't pack her belongings and leave the home, they would hurt her like they did the cat. The suspects claimed they were associates of the homeowner and were there to forcefully evict the victim, but no eviction paperwork had been filed against them.

Gardner says when officers arrived, the three suspects tried to drive away, but they crashed into a utility pole and ran off.

The suspects were identified as Tovia Puaauli, Anne Faalogo and Jason Franklin.

According to court documents, Franklin was wearing a tactical vest with a gun holstered in front when he got into a fight with one officer as they closed in on him. The two struggled on the ground until a second officer arrived with his rifle and Franklin stopped resisting.

Puaauli eventually stopped running and gave up. He claimed he had swallowed a bunch of fentanyl pills and needed medical attention. This is a common tactic that criminals use now in hopes that they will be left unguarded at the hospital so they can escape. It did not work and he was booked into jail.

While all of that was going on, officers say Faalogo stole a police car and sped off. After running several stop lights, she crashed into a Washington State Patrol vehicle. A trooper and a passenger were inside. Both were taken to the hospital for injuries, and the passenger suffered a broken arm. Faalogo was arrested.

Franklin has 13 prior felony convictions. Bail was set at $90,500 for first-degree burglary and unlawful possession of a firearm, as well as for his warrant for failure to register as a sex offender. He has a conviction for third-degree assault with sexual motivation and four felony convictions for failing to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors charged Puaauli with first-degree burglary and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. He is being held on $200,000 bail.

Faalogo has 10 prior felony convictions, including first-degree arson and second-degree assault. Prosecutors charged her with first-degree burglary, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, theft of a firearm, two counts of vehicular assault and attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle.

She is being held on $250,000 bail. If convicted, it will be her third strike and she could get life in prison.

Faalogo and Puaauli are two of the three suspects Kitsap County Sheriff's detectives have been trying to find in connection to a deadly mail theft incident. They had been on the run since February. The third suspect in that case, Priscilla Scott, is still wanted. Call 911 if you see her. She was spotted recently driving a silver/grey Range Rover in Tacoma.