An 11-year old boy was rescued from the surf by Ocean Shores Police and Fire Departments on Sunday, using a device that was able to shoot a rope to the youth.

Just after 3 p.m. on Sunday, Police and Fire staff responded to a report of three children in trouble in the surf near the W. Chance a la Mer beach approach. It appears that the three boys were caught in a powerful rip current, and were carried out through the surf, said a report from Police Sgt. David McManus.

Two of the boys were able to make to shore on their own. The third, an 11-year old boy from Port Orchard, was still trapped in the surf.

Firefighter Jack Thompson and Officer Chris Iversen waded into the surf, trying to reach the boy. “Spotters on the beach directed them closer to the struggling child, and Thompson used a rope gun (a pressurized gas device that shoots a flotation device and rope up to 500 feet) to reach him. The boy held onto the rope, and Thompson and Iversen pulled him to shore,” the report said.

Paramedics treated the victim on the shore and released him to family friends with whom he had come to Ocean Shores. The paramedics gave great credit to the boy’s stamina and perseverance to be able to keep swimming while caught in the current for nearly half an hour in the cold surf, McManus said.

K9 catches suspect

On May 25, Grays Harbor County Sheriff’s Deputy Tracy Gay was working in Ocean Shores, assisting Ocean Shores Police with extra staffing for the busy holiday weekend. At about 6:35 p.m., Deputy Gay attempted to make a traffic stop on E. Rain Street NE. The vehicle he was stopping fled from him, racing eastbound on Rain St and then turning northbound onto Morning Star Lane.

Morning Star Lane is a small housing area just outside of Ocean Shores, and is a dead-end street. When the vehicle reached the dead end, the driver and passenger fled in different directions on foot, a police report said.

“Deputy Gay released his K9 partner, Max, who quickly brought the running driver to the ground. Deputy Gay then took the suspect into custody,” the report said.

The 24-year old suspect, who is listed as living as a transient in the Aberdeen area, was checked by paramedics on the scene. He was then taking to Summit Pacific Hospital for treatment of his wounds, before being booked at the Grays Harbor County Jail.

Police said he is facing charges of attempting to elude a police vehicle and driving with a suspended license. He was also arrested on an outstanding warrant from Grays Harbor District Court. The passenger has not been identified.