Whether you're a former elected official, a police officer or even a brewer of local beer, no one is wholly safe from car theft in Pierce County. Wednesday evening, Lakewood police had to track down a man who took an unlocked patrol car for a drive onto Interstate 5.
The theft occurred when Lakewood Police Department officers were on a call regarding a person with a mental health issue, Lt. Chris Lawler said in an email to The News Tribune. He said it was that person who got into the vehicle at about 8:20 p.m. and drove away.
The 34-year-old man drove the patrol car from a residential neighborhood in the 9800 block of Veterans Drive Southwest to northbound Interstate 5. Lawler said officers tracked the patrol car, and the man pulled over on the freeway at 72nd Street when officers signaled for him to stop.
"The suspect had the car for all of about five minutes," Lawler said.
The man was arrested, and Lawler said he would be booked into jail.
The patrol car was not damaged, and nothing was taken from it. Lawler said there were no weapons in the vehicle. The Washington State Patrol assisted with the arrest.
