TACOMA, Wash. — Court documents are shedding light on what allegedly happened during the day-long Pierce County manhunt of a man accused of ramming patrol vehicles and driving toward a deputy.
On May 3 around 2 a.m., Pierce County deputies found a man slumped over the wheel inside his car at 72nd St. E and 9th Ave. Ct. E. in Midland.
That man, 23-year-old Skyler Cantrell, was wanted for violating probation following his release from prison, and was also wanted for eluding officers after a long police chase on April 16, according to court documents. In that police chase, investigators say he crashed and ran off.
Pierce County deputies put a deflate strip under his front tire and parked a patrol vehicle in front of his car and behind it to prevent him from escaping.
Court documents say Cantrell woke up, put the car into reverse and rammed the patrol vehicle.
Then, Cantrell allegedly put the car into drive and was able to get out of the block. As he was driving away, he allegedly drove toward a deputy, who fired multiple rounds into Cantrell’s car.
Deputies would later learn that Cantrell had been shot in the left shoulder, left forearm and left hand.
Cantrell drove two miles away and ditched his vehicle in someone’s driveway on E. 8th St. before running off, according to police.
Court documents say he ran two blocks away and entered a home through an unlocked door. When he was confronted by the homeowner, he ran off, but not before allegedly taking a knife from the kitchen.
Investigators say Cantrell then jumped a fence and tried to get into another home, but was scared away by two large German Shepherds.
A “significant amount of blood” was found at both homes, according to court documents.
On May 4, around 12:30 p.m., members of a task force found Cantrell on 75th Ave. Court E. in Tacoma, and again he ran off.
Court docs say he evaded capture by entering another home, this time occupied by a grandmother and her two toddler grandchildren.
Cantrell allegedly grabbed one of the toddlers by the arm, which then caused their grandmother to take action. Court documents say she struggled with him for five minutes, pushing and grabbing at him, trying to get him away from her grandchildren.
He tried to walk down a hallway toward a bedroom, but she blocked him again, according to court documents.
Cantrell was still actively bleeding when he was fighting with the woman, it appears some of his blood got on the grandmother during the skirmish, court docs say.
At one point, the grandmother began yelling for help and banging on her window to get the police’s attention, who were outside scouring the area for Cantrell.
Court documents say Cantrell exited the woman’s home and surrendered to police.
Neither the grandmother nor the kids were injured.
Cantrell was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal trespass and striking unattended vehicle. Court documents say he hit an unoccupied parked car during his inital escape attempt from police.
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