MOSES LAKE, Wash. – A 31-year-old man was arrested following a high-speed chase on Friday morning, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office (GCSO).
Around 5:30 a.m., a GCSO sergeant on routine patrol noticed a Ford F-100 pickup partially blocking the northbound lane on State Route 17 near McConihe Road Northeast. The sergeant saw two people inside the vehicle.
As the sergeant approached, the driver accelerated into traffic and headed south on SR 17, ignoring emergency lights. The sergeant believed the driver was impaired given his actions, prompting a pursuit.
The chase spanned several miles through county, city and state roads, on which the driver frequently reached speeds of up to 100 miles per hour and swerved into oncoming lanes, avoiding spike strips in two instances. Authorities noted that the pickup crashed at least once but continued fleeing.
After entering the Moses Lake Sand Dunes, deputies lost sight of the pickup after it left the roadway, prompting personnel from the Moses Lake Police Department to deploy a drone.
Following the pickup’s tire tracks, deputies found the passenger walking back to the road. GCSO officials reported that the passenger was later released.
After tracking tire marks and footprints for about three miles, a 911 caller reported a suspicious person south of the dunes. Deputies found the driver hiding inside a shop.
The suspect driver was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Grant County Jail on suspicion of attempting to elude a police vehicle and obstructing a law enforcement officer.
According to GCSO, the pickup was recovered and impounded.
