A 911 caller who tailed a robbery suspect fleeing a Spanaway grocery store on Thursday morning was shot at by the man, according to Pierce County deputies. A police chase led into Sumner where the suspect crashed into a tractor trailer.
The 911 caller was not hit by the gunfire, and Pierce County Sheriff's Department deputies said the tractor trailer driver wasn't hurt. The suspect, a 33-year-old man, was detained after a short foot chase.
Deputies said the man would be evaluated at a hospital for minor injuries before being booked into jail on suspicion of robbery, assault, eluding police, unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and possession of a stolen vehicle.
The robbery the man is suspected in was a purse snatching at a store near 15800 Pacific Avenue South, according to a statement from the Sheriff's Department. It was reported at about 9:50 a.m. Deputies said the suspect took the purse by force and fled in an SUV reported stolen in King County. The woman's purse contained a firearm, but it wasn't immediately clear if this was the gun used in the shooting.
While deputies were responding to the grocery store, a 911 caller reported he was following the suspect, and that the person had fired a gunshot at him. Deputies said they located the suspect's vehicle and tried to stop it, but the driver sped off.
Deputies began a pursuit, chasing the man east onto state Route 512. The chase continued onto northbound state Route 167, where the suspect exited at 24th Street East on the north end of Sumner.
The suspect failed to negotiate the turn at the top of the exit ramp and hit a tractor trailer, deputies said. The suspect ran from the vehicle. Deputies said he was quickly apprehended.
