Man pleads not guilty to assaulting girlfriend, pursuit

PUYALLUP, Wash. (AP) — A Puyallup man has pleaded not guilty to assaulting his girlfriend and then leading officers on a pursuit that ended when he rolled his SUV.

The News Tribune reports that Alexander Medsker entered his pleas Wednesday to vehicular assault, attempting to elude police and assault.

Police received a call Sunday that a couple was yelling and punching each other in the street.

When police arrived Medsker and his girlfriend were in the SUV. Police say he drove toward an officer, hit the curb, destroyed a mailbox and sped away.

Police used a maneuver to stop the SUV and it rolled. Medsker's girlfriend was injured.

She told detectives they'd argued about Medsker's heroin use and she'd begged him to stop the car. She was not charged with a crime.