(Reuters) - A Seattle-area man was sentenced on Thursday to spend 51 years in prison after admitting to killing a 71-year-old man and spraying bullets at a woman during a shooting spree last year, prosecutors said.
Nathen Ryan Terault, 35, pleaded guilty to first degree murder, robbery and five counts of assault in connection with the killing of 71-year-old Richard Johnson and the shooting rampage in the city of Puyallup, Pierce County prosecutor Mark Lindquist's office said. He had previously pleaded not guilty.
Lindquist's office said the incident began when officers tried to stop Terault for speeding on Aug. 11, 2015. It said he ditched his car near Johnson's home, about 40 miles south of Seattle, and shot the man twice, killing him.
After shooting Johnson, Terault fired several shots at a nearby woman and her two children, Lindquist's office said.
He then stole a neighbor's car at gunpoint and attempted to evade police, firing multiple shots at patrol cars. He eventually collided with another vehicle and fired more shots at the occupants, authorities said.
Terault was captured after police shot him and pinned him underneath a patrol vehicle. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
"The defendant is being held accountable and will never again be a threat to our community," Lindquist said in the statement.
Terault's attorney, Aaron Talney, could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
(Reporting by Curtis Skinner in San Francisco)