PORT ANGELES — Clues found in a 1992 Red Honda that was abandoned after a high-speed chase last week are being evaluated by detectives.
Exactly what was found in the car is being kept under wraps while it is being evaluated, said Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. John Keegan on Friday.
The driver of the car abandoned it in an alley near the intersection of 10th and Francis streets in Port Angeles after police called off the pursuit in a chase that reached speeds of more than 100 mph and ranged from Ranger Road to state Highway 112 to U.S. Highway 101 and wended through residential neighborhoods in Port Angeles.
The driver of the Honda is at large.
A description of the lone male driver was not available, Keegan said.
“It is a hectic thing because a lot of things have to be taken into consideration, and you have to really rely on your training to be able to make decisions that quickly,” Keegan said of the chase.
“We had great support from the dispatch, who were able to talk five agencies through it and allow everyone to get the information.”
Details of chase
Law enforcement officers from the State Patrol, the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office, the Lower Elwha Klallam police and Port Angeles police gave pursuit in the chase that was called off at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
The driver became overly reckless, and officers determined it was in the best interests of public safety to stop, police said.
A short time later, the car was found abandoned near the intersection of 10th and Francis streets.
The car was reported stolen from Sam’s Chinese Restaurant last week when it was left unattended with the keys in the ignition.
The chase began at about 6:50 p.m. when the Lower Elwha Klallam tribal police saw the car on Ranger Road driving to Place Road.
They phoned the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office after confirming that it was the correct car, Keegan said.
The driver stayed within the speed limit while traveling west on state Highway 112 and then south onto Joyce-Piedmont Road.
A Clallam County deputy followed while State Patrol troopers, Border Patrol agents and Port Angeles police officers set up to help.
The driver sped up to more than 75 mph as he drove by East Beach near Lake Crescent and accelerated to more than 100 mph when the driver neared Port Angeles at about 7:15 p.m.
A spike strip was set up west of the city, but the driver avoided the strip and continued toward Port Angeles on Highway 101.
Driver’s known route
The driver’s known route included traveling north on Bean Road, east on Lauridsen Boulevard, north on Tumwater Truck Route, south on Cedar Street and working his or her way back to U.S. Highway 101 on Pine Street, Keegan said.
The driver also went toward Peninsula College and then north across First and Front streets, driving near Olympic Medical Center.
Keegan asked that information on the whereabouts of the driver, the theft of the car or the chase be phoned into the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office at 360-417-2459.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.