Man bear sprays carjackers to protect his 72-year-old mother, Washington State Police say

A Washington man used bear spray to fend off two attackers who attempted to carjack his elderly mother on Tuesday, bringing an end to a crime spree that included multiple carjackings and police chases, authorities said.

"One of the suspects tried taking the elderly lady out of the driver seat but the woman made it hard for him to close the door," said Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson. "Her son, who was parked next to her, came around and sprayed bear mace."

The woman's son told KOMO News he tried to stop a suspect by spraying him in the face with bear spray, but it didn't initially seem to phase the man.

After it didn't work, the suspect got inside the victim's car but was unable to drive away because the victim had the keys in his pocket, according to investigators.

"His face was all red and he was crying," the man told KOMO News. "His girlfriend asked me what I sprayed with and I sprayed her in the face, too."

The two suspects, believed to be a man and a woman in their 30s, were arrested as Federal Way police arrived at the scene, KOMO News reported.

The suspects face charges of eluding police, carjacking, and hit and run, according Johnson.

Moments before the suspects were arrested

According to the investigators, two suspects were eluding Kent police in a stolen vehicle driving northbound on Interstate 5. After a short time chasing after the stolen car, Kent police stopped their pursuit due to strict laws in Washington about officers in high-speed chases.

Kent police officers reported the suspects hit multiple cars as they were escaping. The suspects lost control of their vehicle and stopped at a rest area off I-5 in Federal Way, nearly 8 miles north of their first encounter with Kent police.

The suspects tried to break into three cars while at the rest stop, state investigators said. One of the suspects opened 72-year-old woman's car door, leading to the bear spray encounter.

Investigators said none of the victims suffered serious injuries as the suspects tried stealing the cars.

"I never thought something like this would happen to me, you see stuff all the time," the woman's son told KOMO News, "He's lucky I had bear spray otherwise I would have knocked him to the ground."