A 19-year-old suspect learned the hard way that it is tough to outrun deputies when you leave a shoe behind. Pierce County deputies say a short but chaotic chase in unincorporated Tacoma ended in a backyard trailer, where K9 Clark tracked down the shoeless driver and helped bring him into custody. The man was evaluated by fire personnel at the scene, then booked into the Pierce County Jail.
The trouble started Wednesday near 72nd Street East and 9th Avenue Court East, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office. A deputy tried to pull over a car with no license plates. Instead of stopping, the driver took off. Deputies later confirmed the vehicle had been reported stolen only hours earlier.
The pursuit came to a messy end in the 7100 block of Roosevelt Avenue. Deputies say the driver bailed out of the still-moving car, ditched one shoe in the process, and bolted through fences and yards. That is when K9 Clark went to work, following the scent through several backyards until the dog found the 19-year-old hiding inside an enclosed trailer. Fire crews checked him out, and deputies took him to jail.
K9 unit's role and neighborhood context
Canine teams are a staple of Pierce County's response when suspects start hopping fences and cutting through yards. The department routinely shares video and writeups of those tracks on its official channels. As detailed on the sheriff’s blotter, K9 Clark has helped deputies find suspects who tried to run from traffic stops in similar fashion.
The same general corridor has seen more drawn-out searches too. Hoodline previously highlighted a multi-hour K9 and drone operation in the area - the 72nd Street East manhunt - underscoring how often canine teams are deployed when suspects decide to run.
Charges and booking
The sheriff's office says deputies booked the 19-year-old into the Pierce County Jail on multiple counts, including possession of a stolen motor vehicle, unlawfully making and possessing motor vehicle theft tools, driving with a suspended license, obstructing a law enforcement officer, felony eluding, and resisting arrest. According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, deputies also confirmed the car had been stolen earlier the same day, and the agency's video shows deputies and the K9 unit working together to take the suspect into custody without further incident.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Office says the investigation remains open, and the case will be forwarded to prosecutors for review. Neighbors who saw part of the pursuit or its aftermath can contact the sheriff’s office through its normal tip lines.
