On Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 1:14 a.m., a Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy tried to make a traffic stop on a black 2008 Dodge Charger, after seeing there was no front license plate and the vehicle registration was expired. Instead of pulling over, the driver fled in the car and the deputy did not pursue him.
One minute later, a witness called 911 to report the same vehicle had crashed through an empty shared garage building at the West on Murray Apartments near the corner of SW Murray Blvd. and SW Walker Rd.
The driver then fled the crash scene on foot so deputies surrounded the area along with a K9 team. Just after 1:30 a.m., deputies found the driver in the apartment complex and arrested him. They identified him as 21-year-old Joseph Kinoa Ta’afulisia of Seattle. Deputies arrested Ta’afulisia for felony attempting to elude police, reckless driving, failure to perform the duties of a driver when property is damaged (hit and run), and a warrant from the Department of Corrections in Washington.
