PORT ANGELES — A car chase reaching 100 mph during a 44-mile pursuit from the West End of Clallam County to Port Angeles ended with an arrest at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Lauridsen Boulevard on Friday afternoon.
No one was hurt.
Lawrence Pearson, 47, of Grays Harbor County was booked into the Clallam County jail after leading Clallam County Sheriff’s Office deputies, Olympic National Park rangers, National Forest enforcement officers, U.S. Border Patrol agents, a State Patrol trooper and Port Angeles police on the pursuit on U.S. Highway 101.
He was booked for investigation of a felony charge of eluding a police vehicle.
Clallam County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brian King started the chase in Sappho when Pearson buzzed by at the junction of state Highway 113 near Milepost 204 of U.S. 101.
Pearson was driving erratically in a red Subaru station wagon, veering into oncoming traffic “numerous” times, King said.
“With me he was doing 100 [mph] plus,” King said.
“He was swerving at oncoming cars. It was crazy.
“You train for those type of scenarios. You train for different motivations. Is he intentionally trying to hurt somebody, or he attempting to allude me?”
Sensing the danger to oncoming traffic, King discontinued his pursuit near Milepost 215 at Sol Duc Hot Springs Road and lost sight of the car near Milepost 218.
Park rangers told dispatchers that Pearson was driving erratically at speeds of 60 mph on the narrow, winding road around Lake Crescent. He was reportedly traveling more than 90 mph in Indian Valley west of Lake Sutherland.
Pearson evaded a set of spike strips — portable strips of nail-like spikes designed to flatten tires — in Indian Valley but struck a second set of spike strips near the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society shelter in west Port Angeles.
Port Angeles Deputy Police Chief Brian Smith said the chase ended when two patrol units and two Forest Service units pinned the vehicle Pearson was driving at the busy Port Angeles intersection of Lincoln and Lauridsen, near Jefferson Elementary School.
School was out for spring break.
Once stopped, Pearson complied with officers’ commands, Smith said.
There was no indication of his motive on Friday.
Pearson does not own the SUV he was driving, police said.
There was no indication that drugs or alcohol were involved, King said.
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
