70-Mile, Two-County Pursuit Leads To Yakima Man’s Arrest

A Yakima man is behind bars following a lengthy pursuit that covered over 70 miles in two Central Washington counties.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says it began at around 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 13 in Yakima County near Union Gap, when a Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper pulled over a sedan driven by 22-year-old Misael Altamirano-Rabadan for suspicion of driving under the influence.

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Authorities say that as the trooper approached Altamirano-Rabadan's vehicle, he fled, leading police on a northbound pursuit on Interstate-82 that continued on Interstate-90 near Ellensburg.

During the chase, deputies say Altamirano-Rabadan reached speeds of over 110 mph, turned his vehicle's headlights off, and passed traffic on both shoulders of the freeway.

Altamirano-Rabadan reportedly collided with several vehicles during the pursuit and refused to stop even after spike strips had been deployed to slow his vehicle.

The chase finally ended near Cle Elum when a Kittitas County Sheriff's Deputy performed a PIT maneuver, but Altamirano-Rabadan reportedly rammed two WSP vehicles before his car was fully pinned and he was taken into custody.

Altamirano-Rabadan was booked into the Kittitas County Jail on charges including felony eluding, DUI, hit-and-run, malicious mischief, and assault, with a bail set at $500,000.

No injuries were reported.