One person is dead and three others are injured after a suspected DUI driver fleeing a Washington State Patrol trooper caused a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 early Sunday morning, authorities said.
The Federal Way Police Department said the chain of events began around 3:40 a.m. on Aug. 2 when a trooper attempted to stop a vehicle on southbound I-5 near South 336th Street. The driver refused to pull over, and a pursuit spanned roughly 13 miles before the suspect’s vehicle slammed into an uninvolved car carrying four people.
That collision proved fatal. One of the four occupants died at the scene. The other three were transported to a local hospital with minor injuries, according to police.
After the initial impact, the suspect lost control of the vehicle and collided with one of the pursuing troopers’ cruisers. No troopers were seriously hurt, but the crash shut down lanes for hours during the morning investigation.
The driver, a 25-year-old man from Kent, was arrested on suspicion of DUI, eluding, and vehicular homicide. He is expected to be booked into the King County Jail. Police have not released his name, and the investigation remains ongoing.
