June 3, 2021
La Center – On June 3, 2021, at approximately 7:15 PM, Washington State Patrol troopers observed a passenger vehicle traveling south on Interstate 5 near milepost 39. The vehicle was observed speeding and matched a description of a vehicle that fled from a recent traffic stop made by the Kelso Police Department.
Troopers initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle began to actively flee at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was traveling at speeds over 100 mph and made many unsafe movements while fleeing the troopers. The vehicle came to a stop on the overpass of Interstate 5 at exit 16 in Clark County, WA. Shots were fired and the driver of the vehicle was struck. The driver barricaded himself in the vehicle and refused to exit the vehicle. After several attempts, the driver complied and exited the vehicle. The driver was taken into custody and taken to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.
This is preliminary information based on initial reports of the incident and is an ongoing investigation.
The Southwest Washington Independent Investigative Response Team (SWIIR Team) will investigate this incident.
The SWIIR Team is comprised of agencies in Clark County, including the Battle Ground Police Department, Camas Police Department, Clark County Sheriff’s Office, and Vancouver Police Department. In compliance with WAC 139-12, the involved agency personnel with the Washington State Patrol will not be involved in this investigation.
- The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Team is the case managing agency for this incident. All future communications will be sent via the SWIIR Team.
- The Clark County Major Crimes Team will release the name(s) of the officer(s) involved at a later time.
- Once the SWIIR Team investigation is complete, the case will be forwarded to the Clark County Prosecutor’s Office for review.
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