Stolen car slams into Pierce County elementary school, young suspects on the loose

Centennial Elementary School employees were shaken Thursday morning after a car slammed into their building.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department (PCSD) reported a stolen car was driven into the Graham school Thursday around 5 a.m.

The 911 caller said they saw two cars doing donuts in the parking lot and then heard a loud bang. Another witness told PCSD they saw the car crash into the building and then two to three people run out and get into a white sedan before driving off.

Other news: Teen dies after car plunges into Lake Washington; Sister faces vehicular homicide charge

The department said deputies responded and found the car left inside the school with the engine running. Deputies contacted the owner and confirmed it was stolen out of Spanaway.

A video shows the suspects appear to be young adults or teens. Deputies reported after backing the car through the front doors of the building, they immediately took off.

A stolen car was slammed into the front doors of a Graham elementary school. (Photo courtesy of Pierce County Sheriff’s Department)

The car has been towed out of the school and the school is open for class Thursday.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the sheriff’s department, or citizens can make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers on their app, website or PCSD’s app on Apple or Android.

According to the Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force, approximately 386 cars were stolen in Pierce County in September.

More details: 50 cars were stolen per day in King County in September

Despite the alarming numbers, this is an improvement from 2023.

“There has been a decline in the number of auto thefts compared to this time last year,” Puget Sound Auto Theft Task Force wrote in its report. “We believe this is due, in part, to several key arrests of ‘Kia Boyz’ who were operating throughout the region and stealing numerous vehicles each week.”

As of October 2024, there have been 22,029 vehicles reported stolen statewide, down 11.8% compared to 2023.

Nationally, 2024 is on pace to be the first year car theft has dropped since 2019, as there was a record-breaking 1,020,729 vehicles were stolen in 2023, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.