Close call for Pierce County deputy after bullet hits handcuff pouch during shootout

TACOMA, Wash. — A deputy with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department was nearly shot during a standoff in Tacoma early Wednesday morning.

At about 1 a.m. deputies were involved in a standoff with a suspect in the 4300 block of Vickery Avenue East in Tacoma. This started after deputies tried to stop a driver for a possible DUI.

The driver took off before leading deputies to a dead end on Vickery Avenue, where they all exchanged gunfire.

At one point, a deputy believed he had been shot, before noticing that a bullet had instead hit his handcuff pouch.

RAW: Pierce County deputy nearly struck by gunfire

“First thing we heard was the cops coming down like a car chase, because they came in hot down here,” neighbor Brian Gelston told KIRO 7. “We heard about 40 rounds go off at the end.”

Pierce County SWAT and other agencies were also involved, and it’s believed that at least 85 units were called.

“We had people from Puyallup, Lakewood, Tacoma, State Patrol, Orting, and Eatonville,” Pierce County Sheriff Spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said.

By 1:45 a.m. the suspect was out of the car and transported to a hospital with serious injuries.

The shooting will be investigated by the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.

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