Police pursuit through Yelm ends in fatality in Pierce County

A police pursuit that began in Thurston County Sunday night, July 6, and continued to Pierce County ended in a fatality after the driver was ejected from his fleeing vehicle upon collision with another vehicle during a chase initiated by the Yelm Police Department, according to the Washington State Patrol (WSP).

According to WSP Trooper John Dattilo, the collision occurred on state Route 507 just south of 312th Street South in Pierce County. The fleeing driver, Jeremy L. Stahl, 41, of Tacoma, was traveling northbound on state Route 507 before he lost control of his 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee, crossed lanes and struck another vehicle heading southbound. Stahl’s vehicle then rotated and collided with a Yelm police car in the northbound lane.

The multi-vehicle collision blocked all of state Route 507 for seven hours, according to a press memo from the WSP. All three vehicles involved were considered totaled.

The pursuit began when Yelm officers observed Stahl going 80 miles per hour in a 50 mph zone on Vail Road. After the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop, Stahl fled.

On his X account, Datillo reported that the “two people in the (southbound) vehicle were transported to local hospitals in stable condition. The officer (Noah Sorensen) was also transported, and is expected to be OK.”

The driver of the southbound vehicle, Thomas N. Weeks, was transported to Providence St. Peter Hospital. The passenger, Melodie L. Weeks, was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital.

The driver of the speeding vehicle, however, died at the scene, despite the “lifesaving efforts of the officer involved,” Datillo said. According to the WSP, he was not wearing a seat belt.