A car split in half during a chase in Lakewood, Wash. Tuesday. A suspect fleeing police lost control and hit a tree. The driver survived.
Lakewood police attempted a traffic stop after they spotted a reported stolen black Honda Accord, carjacked by a man armed with a knife at the intersection of 112th and South Tacoma Way just after 11:00 a.m. Tuesday. The offender, who was reported to have carjacked the vehicle at knifepoint, sped away. About two blocks into the chase, the driver hit a tree near 100th and South Tacoma Way. The impact split the car in half, leaving the front end and rear end (upside down) about 50 feet apart.
The offender, Mark A. Mertz, who was conscious after the crash, was transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, released and transported to jail.