Man Crashes A Semi Into Military Base On Quest For 'Better Dope'

LAKEWOOD, WA - Stop us if you've heard this one before: a man high on methamphetamine crashes a stolen semi-trailer through a fence surrounding the largest military base in the Pacific Northwest as special forces soldiers parachute into the area during a training exercise.

A truly astounding series of events began around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday when a Lakewood man called 911 to report that a semi had just driven across his lawn. When Pierce County deputies arrived, they followed tracks in the grass to Joint Base Lewis-McChord's perimeter fence.

The fence had a big hole in, and so the deputies called the base to have it locked down.

The officers found the semi empty near an airstrip. Inside, they found the wallet belonging to a 37-year-old Olympia man.

Meanwhile, in the sky above, special forces soldiers participating in a training exercise were parachuting onto the airfield. There were also massive Boeing Globemaster C-17 planes taking off and landing.

Pierce County and military police found the man trying to get into a locked building on the base. Once under arrest, he told the officers that he bought "bad dope" in Olympia, and was traveling to Tacoma to get better drugs. During the trip, his car ran out of gas. Nearby he spotted a lot full of semis and decided to steal one.

The man crashed into JBLM, he told police, because he had never driven a semi before, and couldn't control it. He lost the brakes somewhere along 138th Street South, which is why he careened into the base.

"The suspect said that as he was running toward the buildings when he saw four paratroopers falling from the sky, so he hid, thinking they were out there to find him. He told the deputies that he then made his way across the airstrip and 'an airplane almost hit me.' He also said he was high on methamphetamine and didn't realize he was on a military base," the sheriff's office wrote in a Facebook post.

The very lucky man was taken to jail on charges of malicious mischief, driving with a suspended license, and motor vehicle theft.

Photo via Getty Images