Thurston County deputies use drone, K9 to capture suspect who fled from Centralia

Law enforcement used a drone, an airplane and a police K9 to capture a suspect who fled from Centralia to Olympia last Friday.

German Rosas-Arenas, 33, of Tacoma, was booked into the Lewis County Jail without bail at about 1 a.m. April 11 following the incident.
He was scheduled for a preliminary appearance in Lewis County Superior Court on Monday.

According to the Centralia Police Department, officers first attempted to stop Rosas-Arenas’s vehicle in the 200 block of South Tower Avenue at about 8:35 p.m. April 10, after witnessing erratic driving.

The vehicle, which reportedly had no license plates, fled the area. Officers pursued north on Interstate 5, until the suspect exited in Lacey.
Thurston County Sheriff Derek Sanders, in a Facebook post, said the suspect “made the mistake of fleeing into Thurston County.”
Sanders said he and deputies from the Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) “joined the pursuit in Tumwater and worked on getting a grappler into position.”

Heavy traffic forced them to call off the grappler.

Enter the Washington State Patrol’s (WSP) airplane “Smokey,” which monitored the suspect from the skies and allowed TCSO to end its pursuit.

According to Sanders, the suspect continued driving recklessly “despite no law enforcement officers in pursuit,” as he sped through red lights and “drove the wrong way down the road.”

After driving west from Lacey through downtown Olympia, the suspect reportedly parked his vehicle and ran into an apartment on the west side of town.

The suspect was soon met by a bevy of officers from the Centralia Police Department, TCSO, WSP and Olympia Police Department.

After obtaining a search warrant on the suspect’s apartment, police flew a drone inside the unit to “clear the majority of the structure,” according to the sheriff.

“Then, K9 Igo was deployed to the front door with his K9 cam and began barking,” Sanders said. “A flash bang was also deployed.”

At one point, the drone reportedly saw the suspect “trying to stuff clothing in the crack between the floor and the bathroom door,” according to Sanders.

In the end, Igo compelled Rosas-Arenas to surrender.

Rosas-Arenas now faces potential charges of attempting to elude a police vehicle and driving under the influence.

According to Sanders, Rosas-Arenas has previous convictions for crimes including rape, possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of a firearm, escape, reckless burning and assault. He has also been involved in “multiple high-speed chases.”

Sanders, who did not name Rosas-Arenas in his post, noted that the suspect was a registered sex offender out of Pierce County.

“Fantastic teamwork, communication, and decision making by all of the involved law enforcement agencies tonight, and a special shout out to WSP’s airplane Smokey for helping us deliver a safe outcome for uninvolved motorists,” Sanders said.