A suspected drive-by shooting damaged a parked car near East 34th and East F streets in Tacoma, triggering a police chase that ended with four people arrested and three handguns recovered. No gunshot injuries have been reported in connection with the shooting.
Pierce County prosecutors have charged a 16-year-old boy with drive-by shooting and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm, according to court documents dated Monday and reported by KING5.com. The teen was booked into Remann Hall, according to police reports, while three adults were booked into the Pierce County Jail. Three other suspects were expected to be charged Monday afternoon.
Officers who responded to the area found bullet damage to a parked car, including damage to its front windows. An officer recovered a bullet fragment lodged in a window frame, and investigators collected shell casings near East F Street and East Wright Avenue. One witness told police they heard a single shot followed shortly afterward by eight to 10 more shots.
Chase Through Tacoma Streets Nearly Ends in Collision
While officers were working the scene, they heard gunfire nearby and spotted a silver Mazda sedan speeding along East Harrison Street. The car turned onto East G Street and nearly hit a patrol car, the report states. Despite an officer activating emergency lights and a siren, the Mazda kept heading south before it finally stopped at a dead end near East 37th Street.
According to police, a rear-seat passenger ran from the car with a handgun in his hand. An officer reported seeing the passenger discard the weapon during the chase before using a Taser to take him into custody. Police then recovered a loaded handgun nearby.
The vehicle's three other occupants got out with their hands raised and were detained by officers on scene. An officer later reported seeing two additional guns beneath the front passenger seat, which appeared to be a silver revolver and a tan handgun.
Investigation Continues as More Charges Loom
Police said the investigation remains ongoing, and the status of charges against the three other suspects beyond Monday afternoon has not been confirmed. The incident adds to a string of similar cases Pierce County has handled this year, including a July arrest in which a 19-year-old was booked on two counts of drive-by shooting and possession of a stolen firearm, according to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office Blotter.
Another case documented by the sheriff's office earlier this month described a driver and passenger stopped after a drive-by shooting, with the passenger found carrying a loaded firearm in his waistband and a search of their SUV turning up spent shell casings, per the sheriff's blotter.
What Washington Law Says About the Charges
Under RCW 9.41.040, first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm is a class B felony in Washington, and the statute also lays out when a person, whether adult or juvenile, can be charged with second-degree unlawful possession. Separately, the state's juvenile firearm-disposition law, RCW 13.40.193, requires courts to determine a standard-range disposition when a respondent or an accomplice is found to have been armed, and it lists drive-by shooting and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first and second degrees among the offenses excluded from a specified additional-confinement provision.
No further details about the 16-year-old's identity, attorney, or the three other suspects' ages have been released. The investigation remains active as detectives continue piecing together what led up to the shooting near East 34th and East F streets.
