Suicidal Teen Blamed For Wrecking Downtown Edmonds Fountain
Little was left of the fountain after it was smashed by a 1996 Toyota Camry driven by a 17-year-old boy at speeds estimated by witnesses at up to 60 mph early Saturday morning, police said. Pieces of the fountain sailed across the street and smashed through the window and awning of a restaurant.
"This was absolutely deliberate," police Sgt. Jeff Jones said. "If he had gone straight, he would have gone straight into a building. He had to alter his path coming down Fifth Avenue."
The boy, likely saved by the car's air bags, was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and could be charged with reckless driving, Jones said.
The value of the fountain was not immediately available. Mayor Gary Haakenson said Sunday was insured as part of the municipal art collection and will be rebuilt next year.
It was the second time a car had wiped out a fountain at the site. The first fountain, built in the 1970s, was wrecked by an out-of-control car in 1998.
After considerable debate a new design was chosen and a fountain was built resembling a gazebo with triangular cedar tree-like tops, a concrete railing encircling the base and water shooting up from a pipe in the middle to give the roundabout, or traffic rotary, a spiral look reminiscent of the saw blade of a lumber mill or the wheel of a ferry boat.
Ruth Arista, 45, owner of a wine shop near the roundabout and a member of the fountain design committee, said it represented the area's history, she said.
"Whether people were happy with how it turned out or not, so many people would paint pictures of it or take pictures of it," said Arista. "It was a major part of our town."
