Moses Lake Area High Speed Chase Ends at Big Bend Community College

A multi-mile high-speed chase of a recklessly driven vehicle around the Moses Lake area on Sunday ended when the car’s tires were flattened by spike strips and eventually encountered a dead-end road on the Big Bend Community College campus.

About 1:10 p.m., a deputy driving near Patton Boulevard and State Route 17 noticed a vehicle travelling at high speed and then running the stop light at the intersection. The deputy tried to pull over the car, but the car continued to flee, eventually leading pursuing officers to the far reaches of Diamond Point. Deputies and Moses Lake Police searched the area and soon found the speeding car again traveling north on Valley Road Northeast.

Spike strips were setup on Valley Road near Lee Drive and the fleeing vehicle’s left side tires were punctured. The driver briefly stopped the car, failed to obey officers’ commands, and then drove away on two flattened tires.

The chase continued out of Cascade Valley, through Upper Basin Homes and the Larson Community. The driver then turned west on Bolling Street and onto the Big Bend Community College campus. The vehicle soon stopped at the dead-end next to the college’s softball field and the driver was taken into custody.

The driver, 48-year-old Erika Dee Merritts of Moses Lake, was lodged in the Grant County Jail for attempting to elude police.

Press release provided by Grant County Sheriff's Office