East Wenatchee Police Capture Suspect After High-Speed Jeep Chase

East Wenatchee Police say a dramatic stolen vehicle case ended in an arrest Friday evening.

Around 5:15 p.m., officers were alerted that a navy-blue Jeep Cherokee — reported stolen just minutes earlier in Wenatchee — was in the area of 9th Street Northeast and Eastmont Avenue. Police soon found the Jeep parked and unoccupied in the 800 block of Garden Plaza.

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When the suspect returned, officers tried to block the vehicle to make an arrest. Instead, the suspect jumped in, smashed into a parked car, and then rammed an East Wenatchee patrol car head-on before taking off.

Officers deployed spike strips, deflating three of the Jeep’s four tires. The suspect led police on a chase, hitting speeds of 60 miles an hour on North Kentucky Avenue, before officers performed a PIT maneuver near South Kentucky and 4th Street Southeast — bringing the Jeep to a stop.

The suspect tried to run but was caught immediately. Police say no one was hurt, including the officer whose patrol car was struck.