VIDEO: Woman leads Pierce Co. deputies on chase in stolen car, tries to evade arrest by stealing second car

Woman leads Pierce Co. deputies on chase in stolen car, tries to evade arrest by stealing second car

An undercover deputy in Tacoma found a stolen Kia in a grocery store parking lot, leading to a dramatic pursuit that resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old woman on multiple charges, including assault and vehicle theft.

TACOMA, Wash. - An undercover deputy in Tacoma found a stolen Kia in a grocery store parking lot, leading to a dramatic pursuit that resulted in the arrest of a 27-year-old woman on multiple charges, including assault and vehicle theft.

On a routine Monday afternoon around 2:30 p.m., a deputy in a Safeway parking lot saw a Kia with a broken window with mismatched temporary plates

After running the plates, the deputy learned that the Kia had been stolen at gunpoint on Aug. 11 and that the temporary plates actually belonged to a Toyota Tacoma. A woman had stolen that Kia and fled from Lakewood. Pierce County Sheriff's deputies said they could not pursue her under the state's laws.

As the deputy called for backup, the suspect got into the Kia and sped off. Deputies initiated a pursuit and followed her into an RV storage lot on 144th St E.

The woman then got out of the Kia and ran up to the building. At the same time, a bystander was getting out of his car. The suspect changed course, got into the open door and tried to drive off. 

Deputies opened the driver and passenger doors to try to get her out of the car, but as they did this, she put it in reverse and backed up with the deputies trapped between the doors and the car. Neither deputy was seriously injured.

Since law enforcement now had probable cause, they pursued her again. Deputies said she swerved around one set of stop sticks and then turned onto a dead-end road. She pulled into a restaurant parking lot, opened her door and rolled out of the car, which crashed into a tree, deputies said. 

Deputies were able to take her into custody there.

A gun was found in the second stolen vehicle. It's unclear if the gun belonged to the initial car's owner or if the suspect dropped it in there. 

She was booked for two counts of second-degree assault, theft of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude a police vehicle and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle.

The suspected pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and was released.