LAKEWOOD, Wash. — Prosecutors say a suspect in a South Sound car theft was trying to flee from police when she suddenly stopped the vehicle, jumped into the back seat and then claimed a teenage passenger had been driving.
On Dec. 17, a woman was working at Whole Foods in University Place when her car was stolen. She said her keys were in the breakroom, which can only be accessed by a code that employees have.
The store manager showed police surveillance video of the suspect, a 19-year-old woman who was also an employee, coming into the breakroom and then going to the victim’s car and driving away with it, according to probable cause documents.
University Place police later saw the vehicle and tried to pull it over, but the driver failed to stop and drove through the city and into Lakewood at 60 to 70 mph.
Once in Lakewood, officers deployed spike strips, which slowed the vehicle to about 35 mph, but the suspect continued to drive and veered into oncoming lanes.
The vehicle then came to an abrupt stop and the driver moved into the back seat, court documents said.
Police said there were three juveniles in the car as well as the 19-year-old suspect, who at first said a 14-year-old had been driving, but the three passengers confirmed that the woman had been driving, according to Pierce County court documents.
According to prosecutors, one passenger said they were riding with the suspect and "hours later a cop was following us, and she tries to lose it while everybody was saying, ‘Just stop,’ then she started the high-speed chase. I wanted to get out, but I couldn't -- she kept going until she hit that dead end and jumped in the back seat."
According to police, after she was read her rights, she asked about drug treatment and then said, "I shouldn't have taken the keys. I grabbed the keys off the table and then put them back. I should have left them there, but I took them anyway. It was a dumb thing to do and I take responsibility for it."
The suspect was later arrested by Lakewood police and booked into the Pierce County Jail on Sunday.
She could be charged with theft of a motor vehicle, attempting to elude and driving without a license.
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