Accused car thief hits owner, leads Pasco police on 120-mph multi-county chase
The search for a car stolen in Kennewick led Pasco police on a nearly 30-mile chase that reached speeds up to 120 mph.
The opportunistic thief grabbed a running 2023 Honda from in front of a Kennewick home about 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, according to dispatch reports.
But the owner had a tracking device on the car and was able to follow it to the Best Western hotel on 20th Avenue.
When the owner approached the car, the thief put the car in reverse, hitting the car owner on the way out of the parking lot, Pasco police said in a Facebook post.
Two Pasco officers spotted the car speeding away on Interstate 182 and signaled for the car to stop. Instead, the suspect sped up, leading police on a chase along the mostly empty highway, said police.
The pursuit stretched into Walla Walla County on Highway 12, reaching 120 mph at one point, according to dispatch reports.
Pasco officers continued the chase while Washington State Patrol troopers set up spike strips to puncture the car’s tires.
It’s unclear if the driver ran over that strip or a second strip farther down the road.
But when he got near the small town of Touchet, the driver turned back toward Pasco and police forced it off the road about 9:30 p.m.
During the case, a Pasco police officer also accidentally hit one of the spike strips and ended up with a flat tire.
Jake Long, 31, of Kennewick, was arrested and booked into the Franklin County jail on suspicion first-degree assault, attempt to elude and possession of a stolen vehicle.
