Washington State Patrol says a suspected DUI driver fled a trooper on I-5 South early Sunday and caused a crash near South 336th Street that killed one person and injured three others. Federal Way Police Department officers were asked to assist around 3:40 a.m., and the driver was later arrested.
I-5 South near South 336th Street
The driver refused to stop and traveled about 13 miles before the crash sequence ended. One person in an uninvolved vehicle died at the scene, and three others in that vehicle were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The vehicle struck by the suspect was not part of the chase and carried four people. That detail separates the traffic stop from the people who were hit: the pursuit began with one driver, but the crash reached a separate vehicle with a family-sized passenger load.
Federal Way Police Department response
Federal Way Police Department said the crash involved a trooper and that officers were asked to help Washington State Patrol investigate near I-5 South and South 336th Street. The suspect lost control after the initial collision, then crashed with a pursuing trooper's vehicle.
Police identified the driver as a 25-year-old man from Kent and arrested him for DUI, eluding, and vehicular homicide. He will be booked into King County Jail.
For readers traveling I-5 South through that stretch, the useful takeaway is simple: a pursuit that starts as a traffic stop can turn into a separate collision scene fast, and the result here was one death, three hospitalizations, and a felony arrest. A Washington State Patrol bridge closure update shows how quickly a state roadway can stay tied up when investigators are still sorting out what happened.
