Pierce County deputies rescue driver who suffered from an overdose after a short pursuit for DUI

At 8:25 am, on December 14th, one of our Traffic Deputies was behind a vehicle at E 48th St and Portland Ave and believed the driver was possibly DUI. When the deputy turned on his lights and siren, the suspect continued going east at 60 mph.

The suspect turned a corner and ran into the back of a dump truck. The suspect jumped out of the car and tried to flee on foot.

After several blocks, the suspect who was not wearing 30 lbs of gear was gassed and gave up. The 20-year-old suspect was arrested for DUI, Attempting to Elude Police and Resisting Arrest.

Thank you to the construction workers who tried to help by getting in his way. The suspect claimed he hadn't done any narcotics other than marijuana, but fell asleep shortly after being placed in the back of the patrol car. The deputy also saw tin foil in the front seat, which is a sign of possible Fentanyl usage.

A lot of our DUI's we have seen are drug related, and we want to show you a DUI from 2022 where a man had overdosed on what we believe to be fentanyl pills and was stopped in the middle of the roadway.

Our deputies were able to resuscitate the man by giving him two doses of Narcan before firefighters arrived on scene. He was transported to the hospital and a report was forwarded to the prosecutor's office for DUI charges.

This is a reminder of the danger posed to everyone when someone gets behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence of narcotics. Outstanding job by our deputies, who were awarded a life-saving medal for their efforts that day.