Deputies: 18-year-old accused of DUI after flipping car going 80 mph in police chase in Tacoma
Jan 13, 2026, 6:22 AM
A Pierce County Sheriff's Office vehicle responding to a crime scene. (Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
An 18-year-old crashed a stolen car into two parked vehicles early Friday morning after leading Pierce County deputies on a high-speed chase.
“About 2:40 in the morning we heard a ‘bang’, a ‘boom,’” said Timothy Sill, who lives near the crash site on S. Tacoma Avenue.
Sill’s surveillance video captured the final seconds of the pursuit, showing a red Dodge Charger speeding past a roundabout before crashing into parked cars and flipping over.
“We’re so used to the roundabout being hit and being the reason why people lose control. So for him to have avoided the roundabout completely, I was surprised,” Sill said.
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, deputies first spotted the Charger traveling over 80 mph in a 35-mph zone on Pacific Avenue South around 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 9.
When deputies attempted a traffic stop, the driver took off, leading them on a nearly six-mile chase from Spanaway to Tacoma.
On Monday, deputies released a dashcam video showing the Charger driving recklessly.
“It had ran so many red lights and was weaving in and out of traffic, it became dangerous,” said Deputy Carly Cappetto.
She said the decision to pursue was difficult but necessary.
“If we had not pursued it, witnessed it, and just let it go. And if somebody had died that night because of that reckless driver, that is something that we have to take into consideration as well,” Cappetto added. “And we’ve seen all too many fatalities this year caused from DUI drivers.”
No one was injured in the crash, not even the 18-year-old driver, who can be seen on video climbing out through the top of the overturned vehicle.
“It did put a lot of people at risk and it’s really just a grace of God that nobody else was hurt and he wasn’t hurt either,” Sill said.
Deputies say the driver showed signs of impairment and smelled of alcohol.
He told deputies the Charger belonged to a family member and that he took it without permission.
The suspect was booked into Pierce County Jail on charges including eluding, taking a motor vehicle without permission, reckless driving, and DUI.
