Deputy Hit By Suspect's Car Before Shooting: Pierce County Sheriff's Office

FIFE, WA - A Pierce County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed a suspect in a motel parking lot Tuesday afternoon after the suspect apparently hit a deputy with his car.

The incident unfolded shortly before noon on Tuesday at the Motel 6 in Fife along 20th Street East, just south of I-5. The sheriff's office said that two deputies and a sheriff's detective were searching for a suspect wanted on charges of unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle and heroin possession.

The officers watched the suspect leave a motel room and get into a vehicle. They approached the vehicle, and used a patrol car to block it in. Then, the officers approached the vehicle on foot and arrested a female passenger.

As they were attempting to arrest the 36-year-old driver, he began driving his car back and forth. The officers smashed his window and deployed pepper spray, but he apparently did not stop. The suspect's car hit one of the deputies, knocking him down between the suspect's car and a police vehicle.

At that point, a deputy and the detective fired at the suspect, killing him, the sheriff's department reported.

The officers administered CPR, as did Tacoma firefighters, but the suspect died at the scene. The woman, 39, was arrested on a warrant for unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver.

Fife police and the sheriff's office is continuing to investigate the shooting. The deceased had multiple previous felony charges, the sheriff's office reported.

Witnesses at the scene reported hearing a barrage of shots, although it's unclear how many shots were fired.

Image via Pierce County Sheriff's Office