Possible ATM bombing suspect leads police on chase that ends in Tumwater

Police are investigating whether the suspect in Tuesday’s ATM bombing in Tacoma was behind similar incidents, including one in Lacey last week.

Tuesday’s bombing happened at a Wells Fargo bank in Tacoma about 3:30 a.m. Acting on a tip from Tacoma police, Lacey police tried to stop the suspect as he exited Interstate 5 in Lacey about 4 a.m.

The 38-year-old suspect, who was thought to be living in Thurston County, headed south on I-5, reaching speeds of 100 miles per hour, Thurston County Sheriff’s Lt. Tim Rudloff said.

The suspect exited at 93rd Avenue Southwest and Tumwater police joined the pursuit. The man was pursued into an area that touched 88th Avenue, 93rd Avenue and 113th Avenue, Rudloff said.

The suspect then got out of his car and fled. At one point, law enforcement pursued the man through a deep swamp.

A K-9 was used to track the man and bit him. The man was taken into custody in the area of 113th Avenue Southeast and Patsy Drive Southeast, south of Tumwater.

He was taken to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia for treatment, and was being held only on suspicion of eluding police.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday afternoon it has seen a series of incidents that targeted ATMs in the Tacoma area in the past week. In Lacey, police responded to a report of an explosion at the Columbia Bank ATM near College Street early Thursday, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Lacey police, Tacoma police and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department are investigating, along with the FBI, ATF and Washington State Patrol bomb technicians.