The Marysville Police Department is getting new funding from the U.S. Department of Justice for an important tool you may have never heard of. They’re called Stop Sticks, often used to stop a car during a car chase.
The city will receive $15,768 to purchase and stock police cars with them. They are the world’s leading tire deflation device. Stop Sticks are a tool that Officer Dylan Burnett of the Marysville Police Department knows well. He used a pair to put an end to a high-speed chase, spanning 80 miles across three Washington Counties during rush hour traffic on Interstate 5, with a wrong-way driver at the wheel. It all started when the driver, allegedly under the influence of drugs, crashed his truck in Tacoma on May 18. After the crash, he pulled a woman out of her Toyota Prius and started driving that Prius south, moving into Thurston County. The suspect, now identified as 27-year-old Elius Mendoza Pinal from Centralia, turned back onto I-5 heading north, leading law enforcement on an 80-mile pursuit. That pursuit didn’t end until Officer Burnett used Stop Sticks, also known as spike strips, to blow out two of the Prius tires in Marysville.
“By deflating all four tires, you will often slow down the pursuit… It’s a lot safer of a scenario for everyone involved,” said Officer Burnett. After the tires blew, the Prius collided with a truck on the Interstate at low speed. Pinal tried to break into the truck he had just crashed into, but the driver inside locked him out. Troopers moved in and arrested Pinal, and he is now in custody. Pinal is facing seven charges for the crime, three of which are felonies.
“I think every officer should have a pair [of Stop Sticks] in his car because you never know what scenario you’re going to be in,” said Officer Burnett. “There’s an inherent danger with doing [a PIT maneuver] so using Stop Sticks can be a little safer given the right scenario.” A PIT maneuver, or Pursuit Intervention Technique, is a low-speed maneuver designed to cause the suspect vehicle to spin out, stall, and come to a stop. Marysville is one of a dozen cities in Western Washington receiving from the DOJ for specific community safety needs.
The funding is focused on crime prevention, community outreach, and officer safety equipment with $1.4 million in Byrne Grants. Washington State will also receive Byrne grant funding, focused on supporting initiatives like anti-gang and drug task forces, crime prevention, and officer safety. Outside of the individual cities set to receive grand funds, Washington State will receive $3,644,335 in Byrne grant funding. The Byrne Grants are named in honor of New York City Police Officer Edward R. Byrne, who was killed in the line of duty on February 26, 1988. Officer Byrne was just 22 years old.