Four Tacoma teens were taken into custody Sunday in Thurston County on suspicion of eluding, possession of a stolen car, possession of stolen firearms, and altering a firearm serial number, Sheriff Derek Sanders posted on social media.
Sanders said all four from the Hilltop neighborhood and between the ages of 14 and 17 years old, a trend Sanders said the Sheriff's Office has seen repeatedly over the last three years.
According to Sanders' post, the Lacey Police Department was dispatched to a vehicle prowl at the Amazon Warehouse at 3300 Hogum Bay Road NE. The vehicle fled when police arrived.
The Sheriff's Office then learned the vehicle had been reported stolen in Tacoma.
Deputies followed the vehicle at a distance and observed it taking exits off the freeway then getting right back on. At one point, deputies were able to set up spikes, which were successful in disabling the stolen car. The suspects tried to make an evasive maneuver and crashed into the gore point (the triangular area between a roadway and an entrance/exit ramp) at Exit 109 to Martin Way.
Four deputies then chased the four juveniles separately on foot, capturing all four.
The driver of the vehicle was found to have a loaded .44-caliber revolver. A passenger was found with a stolen 9mm handgun, and another with a handgun with a scratched off serial number.
Sanders said in his post that deputies have come under criticism from local jurisdictions recently for the actions it takes to make such an arrest. He said he supports deputies' actions as the last line of defense to stop individuals before they harm or kill someone.
"While we are certainly far from perfect and know we have room to improve, one that has become clear: The condition of our country has been deteriorating for some time, and if we don't take action, who will?" he wrote.
