Agencies nab murder suspect after intense chase
Published 10:13 pm Friday, October 27, 2023
- Law enforcement vehicles line a road east of Raymond Friday evening, Oct. 27.
MENLO — Teamwork between law enforcement agencies in North Pacific County led to the arrest of a man wanted out of Kitsap County for felony murder.
The man, identified as Aksel J. Strom, 26, was spotted with a female passenger in a “be on the lookout for” early 2000s Subaru Legacy that was connected to the murder.
A Pacific County Sheriff’s Office deputy spotted the vehicle at around 3:30 p.m. on Oct. 27 at the roundabout in Raymond and activated his emergency lights in an attempt to stop the vehicle. It then fled eastbound on State Route 6 (SR6) and got out of the deputy’s sight.
Deputies, along with officers from the Raymond (RPD) and South Bend Police Departments (SBPD) and the Washington State Patrol, undertook a massive manhunt for the suspect coordinated by Sheriff Daniel Garcia, Chief Civil Deputy Holli Billeci, and the Pacific County Joint Drug Task Force.
The search encompassed from Raymond to the Pacific/Lewis County line near Walville.
At approximately 5:45 p.m., officers from SBPD spotted the vehicle on Mallis Landing Road, where it was headed toward SR 6.
The vehicle went into reverse, flipped around, traveled back up the roadway towards South Fork Road, and then fled eastbound on South Fork Road towards the Fern Hill Cemetary.
The vehicle was struck by spike strips by an officer set up along South Fork Road and then again on State Route 6 after the vehicle fled eastbound through Menlo.
The chase continued through the small town where hundreds, including dozens along the roadway, were attending Trunk or Treat at the Pacific County Fairgrounds.
Debris from the vehicle was strewn from South Fork Road and along SR 6 to the outskirts of Menlo.
RPD and SBPD led the chase, which veered onto Stauffer Road, where officers and deputies surrounded and cut off escape routes.
Deputies also drove out into a field to surround the vehicle in case the suspect opened fire. The tense standoff lasted only a few minutes after the suspect realized he was outgunned and had nowhere to go.
There was a brief moment when someone yelled across the radio, “shots fired,” which was followed up by, “watch out for crossfire!”
No deputies or officers discharged their firearms, and the suspect did not fire any shots. Strom and the female passenger were taken into custody.
According to court records, Strom is wanted for second-degree murder and first-degree burglary for a homicide in Poulsbo on Oct. 3. The Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office responded to a “gunshot wound” call on the 3100 Block of Lincoln Road Northwest in Poulsbo.
The man succumbed to his injury.
Strom is one of two suspects wanted for the homicide. At the time of his arrest, he had a $500,000 warrant out for his arrest and was considered armed and dangerous.
As of 10 p.m. Friday, the female occupant of the vehicle had not been booked.
