Moses Lake gang member sentenced after police chase

EPHRATA - An alleged Moses Lake gang member who was recently arrested at least seven times was sentenced to about a year and a half in jail for stealing a car and leading police on a chase in May.

Luis Ramirez, 20, initially fled from police in the Mattawa area and after a chase that reached speeds of 100 mph, crashed near a house in Othello.

Police attempted to pull over the vehicle that Ramirez was driving because it did not have a rear license plate. He refused to pull over and instead fled toward Othello, according to the police report.

After reaching 100 mph during the pursuit, police flattened the tires of the car Ramirez was driving with a spike strip. He continued to drive 70 mph for about a mile with flat tires and pulled into a housing area near Othello. He then drove through a yard and crashed over a retaining wall.

He fled the car and was found hiding under a nearby tractor trailer. According to the police report, Ramirez was wearing a red T-shirt and the person riding in the passenger seat was wearing a red bandana. The officers knew Ramirez as a member of the East Side Familia gang and that gang members typically wear red clothing.

The arresting officer recommended that Ramirez not be allowed to bail out of jail because he had seven warrants for failure to appear and was on probation.