MARYSVILLE — A high-speed pursuit left a Marysville Police patrol car embedded in a carport on Cedar Avenue on the afternoon of Oct. 4, but without any injuries.
Marysville Police Cmdr. Robb Lamoureux reported that calls came in around 2:55 p.m. about a reckless driver, which led Marysville Police to give chase on Cedar Avenue.
Lamoureux explained that, at the intersection of Cedar Avenue and Sixth Street, the suspect driver attempted to turn into Sixth Avenue, but hit the curb.
“The suspect then seems to have reversed toward the officer, who had to take evasive action,” Lamoureux said.
The patrol car narrowly avoided a utility pole, a stop sign and the two cars already parked in the driveway of the property on the southwest corner of the Cedar Avenue and Sixth Street intersection, but it did crash into the carport.
“The car’s airbag didn’t deploy, which tells us that it wasn’t even going 35 miles per hour,” Lamoureux said. “Most of the damage to the car was in its PIT bars, which got pushed back. That’s not actually the purpose of the PIT bars, but they do provide extra protection in case of a crash.”
Terry Haskett resides at the property and was standing in the driveway when the crash happened.
“I stepped back a couple of steps,” Haskett laughed. “I’m amazed it didn’t hit either of the two cars in the drive.”
While the patrol car did damage Haskett’s boat, which was also sitting in the driveway, he shrugged it off, even though he’d just finished repairing it.
“A little duct tape and I’ll get her going again,” said Haskett, a renter at the property. “Look at all these people out here. It’s unfortunate that this happened, but it’s beautiful that it’s brought the neighborhood together.”
Haskett believes that the engine block and toolboxes he was storing in the carport helped slow the patrol car down enough to prevent it from breaking through the other side.
With the suspect now in custody, Lamoureux expects that the patrol car could be sent out for repairs, depending on the degree of body damage it’s sustained, while the carport has been shored up with support beams.
“From here, the homeowner will make the repairs and most likely file a claim with the city for reimbursement,” Lamoureux said. “There were no injuries, and while property was damaged, that can be fixed.”
