A Tacoma police sergeant responding to a home-invasion robbery was injured Wednesday afternoon in a chain-reaction crash on the city’s East Side.

Another driver involved in the three-vehicle crash also was hurt. He and the sergeant were taken to local hospitals for treatment of non-life threatening injuries, Tacoma police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The sergeant has since been released; the other man’s condition wasn’t known.

The sergeant had been responding to the report of a home invasion robbery and shots fired in the 1100 block of East 62nd Street. He had his emergency lights and sirens on as he …

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Pierce County law enforcement agencies are searching for two men who are posing as police officers, kidnapping fast-food managers and forcing the victims to reopen their stores so they could be robbed.

Tacoma-Pierce County Crime Stoppers announced a reward for the capture of the two men today. They released surveillance images of the suspects.

In three incidents, the suspects have pulled over restaurant managers shortly after their stores closed and they left. The suspects’ vehicle was equipped with red and blue flashing lights, Crime Stoppers reported.

The robbers, who have their faces covered with bandannas, approach the manager’s vehicle, pull …

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Tacoma police are searching for a man who robbed a South Tacoma bank this afternoon.

The robbery occurred just after 12:30 p.m. at Sound Credit Union, 2941 S. 38th St. The bandit did not imply he had a weapon, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said.

The bank robber ran from the bank on foot. He was described as in his 30s and 5 feet 9 with a thin build. He wore a blue denim baseball hat, blue denim jacket and blue jeans.

A police dog searched the area but did not find the suspect.

A 36-year-old Tacoma man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to time served for illegally dumping acidic water down the drains of a self-service cash wash and into the city’s municipal sewers.

Guadalupe Sanchez Roman pleaded guilty to violating the Clean Water Act and was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Tacoma, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.

Sanchez Roman admitted he dumped the waste water, which contained grease and vegetable oil from a nearby mobile restaurant, into the municipal sewers through the floor drains at the Center Street Car Wash.

Owners of the car wash had contacted the Tacoma …

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A crash is blocking the right lane of northbound State Route 167 at State Route 18 in Auburn, the state DOT reports.

Firefighters and troopers are on the scene.

The crash was reported about 9:15 a.m.

UPDATE: The crash has been cleared and the lane reopened.

A Hilltop home was damaged this morning when flames broke out on the second floor.

The two adults and four children inside got out of the house without injury. No firefighters were injured either, Tacoma fire spokesman Joe Meinecke said.

Firefighters were called to the home in the 2300 block of South L Street just after 6 a.m. They found heavy smoke and flames coming from the back of the house on the second floor, Meinecke said.

After the bulk of the fire was out, crews used a thermal imaging camera to check behind the walls for hidden flames.

The …

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Tacoma police and state wildlife agents responded to a reported cougar sighting Wednesday night in the city’s South End.

A resident in the 7200 block of South G Street called 911 just before 7 p.m. to report seeing a cougar on the roof of his home, police spokesman Mark Fulghum said. The homeowner had seen the cat climb from a tree to his roof.

The large cat was gone by the time officers arrived. Officers, however, did find large paw prints in the area that could be those of a juvenile mountain lion, police reported .

The cougar was last …

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Tacoma police are looking for three men in connection with a home invasion robbery in east Tacoma early this afternoon.

The victim, who is thought to be in his 40s, told police that the trio broke into his house in the 1100 block of East 62nd Street shortly before 1 p.m.

One of the men was carrying a gun, he told police. Police said the robbers took cash from the home and then fled on foo

The victim, who was not hurt, said he ran from the house and asked a neighbor to call police. He told police he might …

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