TACOMA, Wash. — A 39-year-old male suspect who exchanged gunfire with Tacoma officers was killed early Friday morning, according to authorities.
Around 8 p.m. on Dec. 29, Tacoma police responded to reports of shots fired at a bar in the 1200 block of South 56th Street. They identified a suspect and developed probable cause to arrest him for unlawful possession of a firearm and unlawful discharge of a firearm.
Police officers found the suspect vehicle, but it did not pull over. Police did not chase the vehicle, according to information from the Pierce County Force Investigation Team.
Around 9:45 p.m., calls from the same bar were made to 911 to report the suspect had returned. When officers arrived, the suspect fled in his vehicle again.
Just after 3:05 a.m. on Dec. 30, police found the suspect asleep in his vehicle. A female was in the passenger seat, also asleep.
Police placed stop sticks in front of the vehicle and confronted the suspect.
The suspect drove off, running over a stop stick resulting in flat tires.
The vehicle crashed at East 43rd Street and F Street, where the female passenger got out and was detained. The suspect drove away.
The vehicle stopped near East 57th Street and McKinley Avenue at 3:22 a.m. where gunfire was exchanged.
The suspect died at the scene.
No police officers were injured.
Investigators found bullet holes in a Tacoma police vehicle.
"It's really concerning when we have homes on both sides of the street and there's gunfire erupting in the middle of the night," the police spokesperson said.
The Pierce County Force Investigation Team is handling the investigation.
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