Suspect with 47 prior arrests kills 70-year-old in wrong-way crash in Lacey

A high-speed chase through Lacey ended with a head-on car crash that killed one person and left two others hurt.

The Thurston County Sheriff’s Office said it happened Saturday afternoon when a woman drove on the wrong side of a highway and hit another vehicle. The incident occurred around 4 p.m. in the Meadows neighborhood of Lacey.

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Deputies stated the woman approached several people, asking for fentanyl. When one person asked her to leave, she stepped on the gas of her vehicle and drove toward that person. Minutes later, deputies spotted the vehicle she was driving, which had been stolen from King County.

Officers claimed she started dangerously passing other cars in a no-passing zone, and refused to pull over. Eventually, the officers deployed spike strips to try to stop her on Pacific Avenue near Olympia city limits.

Despite the roadblock, she continued on, driving recklessly into oncoming traffic. Deputies said she hit another vehicle head-on soon after.

The victims of the collision — a driver and two passengers — were injured and taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia. One of the passengers eventually died at the hospital. She was identified as Gina Munna, 70, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).

The suspect was slightly hurt in the accident. She was taken to a local hospital, with state troopers reporting she will be booked into jail after that.

“Our thoughts are with those affected by this senseless tragedy,” Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders said in a statement. ‘We are working closely with WSP to ensure all aspects of this incident are fully investigated.'”

Suspect had 47 prior arrests

According to the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect had a rap sheet with a total of 47 previous arrests, including four felonies and 23 gross misdemeanors.

Additionally, Sanders reported the suspect had two misdemeanor convictions, multiple accounts of driving without a license and has warrants out of Issaquah, Seattle and Renton for theft and escaping police.

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The suspect will likely face even more felony charges, including second-degree murder, two counts of vehicular assault, attempting to elude a police vehicle, possession of a stolen vehicle, felony hit and run, second-degree assault and driving with a suspended license.

Detectives with the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the initial interactions the suspect had with residents of the neighborhood. WSP will investigate the pursuit and the deadly crash.

Contributing: Frank Sumrall, MyNorthwest

Tom Brock is a weekend editor, reporter and anchor for KIRO Newsradio