Multi-county police chase ends in 4-hour I-5 standoff near Chehalis
Apr 3, 2026, 6:03 AM
Troopers and police form a barricade on I-5 during a standoff with a suspect. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
A police standoff shut down I-5 near Chehalis for multiple hours Thursday evening, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) confirmed.
At approximately 6:30 p.m. Thursday, police activity swarmed a scene on southbound I-5 near Rush Road after a suspect led Washington State Patrol (WSP) troopers on a multi-county chase. The suspect’s vehicle was a maroon Acura sedan, attempting to evade police in Mason and Thurston County after a deputy attempted to initiate a traffic stop.
After WSP troopers laid out stop spikes on Rush Road to end the pursuit, the suspect hit them, causing their vehicle to come to a stop on the highway, blocking two southbound lanes.
“The vehicle continued for approximately two miles before striking a WSDOT sign along the right shoulder of southbound I-5 near milepost 69, which ultimately disabled the vehicle,” WSP stated.
The suspect, who was the only person in the vehicle, then barricaded themselves inside their car. SWAT was called to respond to the scene.
Four hours later, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the suspect was taken into custody. I-5 was cleared shortly after.
“After several hours, the subject was taken into custody and transported to a local hospital,” WSP wrote.
The suspect has been charged with two counts of felony eluding and two counts of reckless driving in addition to disorderly conduct, obstruction, resisting arrest, and hit-and-run unattended.
This is a developing story, check back for updates
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