KENT, Wash. — Kent police arrested a convicted felon for driving recklessly and allegedly fighting with police who tried to take him into custody.
Around 2 a.m. on March 23, an officer saw a car speeding and driving recklessly on State Ave. toward E. Smith.
When the officer tried to pull the car over, the driver sped off.
The pursuing officer anticipated that the driver would try and take the on-ramp to I-5, so he slowed down and set up a safe section of the roadway to use a PIT maneuver to stop the car, Kent PD said.
Kent PD said the 45-year-old suspect jumped out of the car before it came to a complete stop and was “aggressive, screaming and appeared to be looking for a place to run.”
Police said the suspect took up a fighting stance and was “agitated” and “repeatedly refused commands.”
After multiple attempts to ask for compliance, the suspect was tasered, according to PD. Even though he was tasered, Kent PD said he still fought with officers. One officer injured their shoulder, and a few others had scrapes, but otherwise the injuries were not severe.
The backpack the suspect was wearing at the time of the arrest had a loaded gun with an extended high-capacity magazine, and many small bags that had drugs, including 30-40 grams of meth, and hundreds of fentanyl pills, Kent PD wrote on their Facebook page. There were also scales and money in “denominations consistent with drug distribution,” Kent PD said.
There was also a shotgun between the front seats of the suspect’s car, Kent PD said.
The suspect was booked for possession of a firearm, eluding and intent to distribute narcotics. He may face extra charges if the guns were determined to be stolen.
The passenger in the vehicle, a 47-year-old Kent man, was booked on an Auburn warrant for possession of a controlled substance and reckless burning.
“He made the good decision to NOT grab the rifle while the driver was screaming and fighting with the officers...We are thankful that with the presence of two guns and a very agitated suspect, the injuries were not more severe,” Kent PD wrote on Facebook0