Bus thief leads deputies on 60-mile high-speed chase in Eastern Washington
MOSES LAKE, Wash. -- A man who stole a bus led police on a 60-mile high-speed chase across Grant County before finally being captured.
The Grant Transit Authority called Moses Lake Police around 7 a.m. to report one of their buses had been stolen, according to the Grant County Sheriff's Office.
A Grant County deputy spotted the bus about 30 minutes later heading along SR-28 near Stratford and gave chase, soon joined by several other law enforcement officers.
The chase went into Coulee City, then out north on SR-155 where officers deployed a spike strip. The spikes deflated the bus's left rear dual tires, but the thief drove on, reaching speeds of 80 mph, deputies said.
As the chase wound into Electric City, police deployed a second spike strip, which popped the right front tire. The thief made it about another half mile until he tried to turn but instead lost control and went through a ditch and up an embankment, where the bus came to a stop.
Deputies were able to arrest the 62-year-old driver and book him into the Grant County Jail for investigation of vehicle theft and felony eluding police. When asked about the event, the driver told police he was just trying to get home to Grand Coulee, according to Soap Lake Police.
No one was injured in the chase or aftermath.
