A man who steered his van onto the shoulder of Highway 16 on Wednesday morning before collapsing died of natural causes, specifically heart disease, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office reported today.

Witnesses said the man was eastbound on Highway 16 near the 19th Street interchange about 5:30 a.m. Wednesday when he drove onto the shoulder and stopped.

State troopers later found him dead behind the wheel.

No one else was hurt.

Tacoma police officers have detained an 11-year-old boy who had a pellet-type gun on the afternoon school bus.

The driver notified Tacoma police about a possible weapon on a Tacoma school bus near South 35th and G streets shortly before 2 p.m., police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The student got off the bus and ran into his house, then came back out.

Officers detained the boy and found the gun. No injuries were reported.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the 57-year-old man who was killed by a Pierce County deputy on Monday night.

Kenneth Woodham died of gunshot wounds to the chest, the office reported today.

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department and Prosecutor’s Office are investigating the deadly deputy-involved shooting.

Woodham’s wife called 911 on Monday night to report he’d been drinking and screaming at her and her mother. Two deputies arrived at the family’s home in the 800 block of 111th Street South shortly before 10 p.m.

After seeing the deputies, Woodham reportedly went into the

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Commuters through Pierce County are experiencing some problems this morning.

A wreck blocked the far right lane of northbound Interstate 5 near the Puyallup River Bridge for nearly an hour this morning.

It’s been cleared but the backup is five miles long.

Now, drivers on the westbound Highway 512 are experiencing some delays because of a crash on the right shoulder near Steele Street.

A 19-year-old man pleaded not guilty today to a shooting in Tacoma’s Salishan housing area that left a woman dead and her boyfriend badly wounded.

Kacy J. Estes, 19, is charged with one count each of first-degree murder, first-degree assault and unlawfully possessing a firearm in the March 31 incident. Prosecutors also have charged him with second-degree murder in the death of Crystal Rhoads to give themselves options during plea bargaining and at trial.

Pierce County Superior Court Judge Brian Tollefson ordered Estes jailed in lieu of $1 million bail.

A 53-year-old Tacoma man died in his vehicle on the shoulder of Highway 16 this morning of an “unknown medical condition,” the State Patrol reported.

The man was driving eastbound near the 19th Street interchange about 5:30 a.m. when he pulled his Chevrolet van onto the left shoulder, troopers said.

Troopers found him dead inside the van when they arrived on the scene.

The incident is under investigation.

Tacoma police want the public’s help to find a man who recently was charged with sexually assaulting a woman nearly nine years ago.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers is offering up to $1,000 for information leading to Luis R. Garcia’s arrest.

Earlier this month, prosecutors charged the 25-year-old (pictured here) with first-degree rape and second-degree assault in connection with a brutal attack Aug. 24, 2000. A warrant was issued for his arrest.

A “cold hit” on a DNA sample taken from evidence collected in the case allowed prosecutors to

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Lighting has begun to strike across the area, causing at least one outage in Tacoma.

A strike caused a transformer fire in South Tacoma, and Tacoma Public Utilties said some customers are in the dark. A call to a TPU spokeswoman has not been returned. Fire crews have been kept busy with alarms going off at businesses throughout the area.

The National Weather Service is reporting a thunderstorm could last until about 11 p.m. with winds of up to 13 mph.