Crime

Kennewick arrest got wild. Police car rammed, officer thrown, Taser didn’t slow him

Two Pasco men are in jail after an alleged burglary that ended with Kennewick police cars hit, an officer thrown from his car, and a chase by car and on foot.

A Taser did not stop one of the suspects, but a police dog did.

Kennewick police say that about 4 p.m. Saturday a business owner reported that he was watching on live video as two men used bolt cutters to cut locks on two storage units in the 5600 block of West Metaline Avenue.

Officers arrived to see the men later identified as Jose Perez-Gonzales, 33, and Shegow Gagow, 37, leaving in a white Mazda.

Police were able to briefly stop the car, but then Perez-Gonzales suddenly accelerated and rammed the back of a Kennewick patrol car, said police.

An officer who was getting out of the car, was thrown to the ground.

The Mazda then sped off, blowing past a stop sign at Metaline and Edison, hitting a second police car, said a news release.

None of the officers in the two police cars hit were seriously injured, although a police report described one as “very sore.”

Officers gave chase as the Mazda entered Highway 240, where it hit an unoccupied car.

Two men were caught on video camera using bolt cutters to cut locks at a storage unit at the 5600 block of West Metaline in Kennewick.
Two men were caught on video camera using bolt cutters to cut locks at a storage unit at the 5600 block of West Metaline in Kennewick. Courtesy Kennewick Police Department

The car stopped at 1114 10th Avenue, where Perez-Gonzales, who was believed to be driving, ran. Gagow remained in the car and was arrested.

A police K9 dog was used to track Perez-Gonzales to an apartment at 1026 W. 10th Ave., which Benton County deputies, Pasco and Richland police and Washington State Patrol helped contain.

But Perez-Gonzales jumped out a window and ran again.

Police caught up with him and fired a Taser, but it did not stop Perez-Gonzales, said the release.

Officers lost sight of him until Kennewick police dog Ivan found him in a shed in a nearby backyard.

Both Perez-Gonzales and Gasgow were treated at a hospital before being booked into the Benton County jail Saturday night.

Perez-Gonzales is being held on suspicion of second-degree burglary, third-degree assault, eluding police, resisting arrest, hit and run, and driving with a suspended license.

Gasgow was being held on suspicion of second-degree burglary.

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Annette Cary
Tri-City Herald
Senior staff writer Annette Cary covers Hanford, energy, the environment, science and health for the Tri-City Herald. She’s been a news reporter for more than 30 years in the Pacific Northwest. Support my work with a digital subscription
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