Walla Walla Police had their hands full with two drivers of a motorhome Wednesday night.
Two detectives say they observed the recreational vehicle (RV) on North Second Avenue near Highway 12 with no license plate and drifting off the roadway.
They tried to pull the driver over, but they say the RV continued at about 40 miles per hour, weaving in and out of the lane. As the driver of another car attempted to get out of the way of the pursuit, police say the driver of the RV rear-ended the smaller vehicle.
While the pursuit was in progress, the detectives say they witnessed a man throw the female driver out of her seat and down toward the floor of the RV. The man jumped into the driver’s seat, according to detectives, and sped up to about 75 miles per hour, leading the detectives and other officers on a police chase to Waitsburg.
Police feared the threat to the public was high, so they asked Columbia County Sheriff’s Deputies to lay down spike strips in Waitsburg. The RV ran over the spike strips, puncturing the tires. The driver lost control and smacked into a power pole in the area of Coppei Avenue and Preston Avenue before barreling into a chain link fence near Preston Park.
The RV came to a stop and caught fire with heavy smoke coming from the engine. Officers entered the vehicle and found the male driver unconscious. They pulled him out of the smoking vehicle and began treatment before paramedics arrived and transported him to the hospital. The woman did not require medical attention.
Walla Walla Police have identified the driver as 28-year-old Isiah Guillen of Texas. His condition is unknown as of this writing. Detectives interviewed the woman. She told police she was attempting to pull over, but that Guillen kicked her foot off the brake pedal before he threw her out of the seat. Police also say that Guillen told the female “We are both going to die tonight” as he was eluding the detectives.
Police say Guillen has two warrants for his arrest. One out of Texas for a parole violation for possession of a controlled substance and another out of Oklahoma for possession of a stolen motor vehicle.