March 24, 2022
TACOMA – Four juveniles between the ages of 11 and 16 were located and arrested this morning in Roy after being tied to a recent drive-by shooting incident on Interstate 5.
On Sunday, March 20, 2022, troopers and detectives responded to a drive-by shooting incident on northbound Interstate 5 on the interchange ramp to eastbound S 38th Street. At approximately 4:42 PM, the driver of a Toyota 4Runner was cut off by a maroon passenger van on the interchange ramp, which prompted him to honk his vehicle’s horn. The passenger van slowed, and its right -front passenger fired five shots at the Toyota and struck it twice before the vehicle continued eastbound on S 38th Street.
Employees of a nearby business contacted investigators after hearing about the maroon passenger van’s involvement in the shooting incident. They indicated that the four occupants of a vehicle with the same description were involved in the theft of ammunition shortly before the shooting. Washington State Patrol (WSP) detectives obtained surveillance footage and still photos of the four suspects and the maroon passenger van from the business. The driver of the Toyota 4Runner positively identified one of the suspects and the van with the help of the footage.
After WSP detectives shared the surveillance camera photos with allied agencies in Pierce County, Eatonville PD located the maroon passenger van and the suspects near Eatonville High School. When officers attempted to contact the suspects, they fled and led them on a pursuit that ended in the City of Roy. Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) deputies and officers with Eatonville PD and Roy PD were able to take all four suspects (11, 12, 14, and 16 years old) into custody. They were booked into Remann Hall Juvenile Detention Center on Assault in the First Degree and Drive-by shooting charges.
WSP detectives would like to thank our allied agencies for their assistance and believe that the suspects could be linked to other violent crimes in Pierce County. Detectives request anyone with additional information regarding the suspects and/or the maroon passenger van to contact Det. James Meldrum at (360) 890-5870.
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