YAKIMA SHERIFF’S OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

On 11-14-2009 at about 0200 hours Yakima County Sheriff's Deputies responded to the Toppenish area after Toppenish Police reported multiple drive by shootings being reported only minutes apart.  A deputy in the area attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle on Fraley Rd at Buena Rd when the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed.

The vehicle was pursued for several miles at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour as other deputies and law enforcement agencies responded to assist.

During the course of the pursuit, the suspect vehicle ran off the road at the intersection of McDonald Rd and Rowberry Way just outside of Toppenish.  As the suspect maneuvered the suspect vehicle to get it back on the roadway, the suspect vehicle side swiped a Yakima County SO patrol car before the vehicle again fled west on McDonald Rd although deputies were able to get a good look at the driver at this location.  The deputy whose car was struck, was not injured.

When the suspect vehicle then traveled down a very dusty Willowtree Lane off of McDonald Rd, pursuing deputies slowed due to extremely poor visibility.  Seconds later the vehicle was found abandoned inside the Willowtree mobile home court.  A scoped rifle was found in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, along with spent shell casings and bullets.

An extensive search of the area resulted in the locating of two persons believed to have been passengers in the vehicle during the pursuit although the driver was not located.

At about 1900 hours Yakima SO deputies located the driver at his residence in Buena and positively identified him even though he had shaved his head in an apparent attempt to change his appearance.

Deputies also subsequently took a report of a drive by shooting that had taken place on Crewport Ln, north of Granger that reportedly took place at about 0145 hours.  In that drive by shooting case, shell casings and a spent round were recovered to be analyzed with the rifle recovered at the culmination of this pursuit.

Indications are that this was gang related.  The driver of the vehicle is a 19 year old Hispanic male from the Buena area and is being booked into the Yakima County Jail on charges of Eluding and Assault 2, while the investigation continues.

Mike Russell
Patrol Sergeant
Yakima County Sheriff's Office
1822 S 1st St
Yakima, WA 98901