High-speed chase ends with crash, arrests

A Taholah man was arrested after he led police on a high-speed chase from Hoquiam to east Aberdeen that ended when he crashed at about 8 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

The 29-year-old driver lost control and crashed his 2002 Cadillac Escalade into a concrete barrier on Hornsby Way near Five Star Ford Lincoln while being chased by a Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s deputy, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The chase began when a sheriff’s deputy tried to stop the man who had outstanding felony warrants on Lincoln Street in Hoquiam at approximately 7:45 p.m., according to a sheriff’s office release. The suspect avoided spike strips which were set up as the chase continued into Aberdeen, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies recovered a firearm believed to be thrown out of the Escalade during the pursuit, according to the release. A search warrant was served on the vehicle and deputies found suspected heroin, methamphetamine and ammunition.

The suspect and a 19-year-old woman who was in the Escalade with him were uninjured, according to police. The suspect’s case will be forwarded to the prosecutor for felony eluding, felon in possession of a firearm and drug charges, according to the sheriff’s office. The woman was arrested for theft and identity theft, according to the state patrol.

The sheriff’s office said it was assisted by the Hoquiam Police Department, Aberdeen Police Department and Washington State Patrol during the chase.

A 2019 Jeep Cherokee parked at the dealership was damaged and the Escalade was totaled by the collision, police said.

The police investigation is ongoing.