Man killed after high-speed chase near Deception Pass
DECEPTION PASS, Wash. - An Anacortes man who led a state trooper on a high-speed chase up Highway 20 was killed Sunday morning when he was ejected from his car in a crash and then was run over by the trooper's vehicle.
A Washington State Patrol spokesman said the incident began when the trooper spotted the man driving recklessly in a 2000 Toyota Celica on Highway 20 on Whidbey Island.
The trooper gave chase in his 2008 Ford Crown Victoria, but the man in the Toyota refused to slow down or pull over as both vehicles headed north on the highway.
As the Toyota accelerated away from the trooper at dangerously high speeds, the trooper broke off the pursuit.
At that point the driver of the Celica rounded a curve, veered across the center line and slammed into a rock embankment less than a mile south of the Deception Pass Bridge.
The force of the impact threw the driver from the car, and he landed in the northbound lane of traffic. As the trooper came around the curve, he was unable to stop in time and hit Johnson as he lay in the roadway.
The driver of the Toyota, later identified as Donald R. Johnson, 53, of Anacortes was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alcohol and speed were both factors in the crash, the Washington State Patrol said. Troopers also said Johnson was not wearing a seat belt.
Highway 20 was closed in both directions after the 6 a.m. crash and reopened about five hours later.
The trooper involved in the crash remains on duty.
A Washington State Patrol spokesman said the incident began when the trooper spotted the man driving recklessly in a 2000 Toyota Celica on Highway 20 on Whidbey Island.
The trooper gave chase in his 2008 Ford Crown Victoria, but the man in the Toyota refused to slow down or pull over as both vehicles headed north on the highway.
As the Toyota accelerated away from the trooper at dangerously high speeds, the trooper broke off the pursuit.
At that point the driver of the Celica rounded a curve, veered across the center line and slammed into a rock embankment less than a mile south of the Deception Pass Bridge.
The force of the impact threw the driver from the car, and he landed in the northbound lane of traffic. As the trooper came around the curve, he was unable to stop in time and hit Johnson as he lay in the roadway.
The driver of the Toyota, later identified as Donald R. Johnson, 53, of Anacortes was pronounced dead at the scene.
Alcohol and speed were both factors in the crash, the Washington State Patrol said. Troopers also said Johnson was not wearing a seat belt.
Highway 20 was closed in both directions after the 6 a.m. crash and reopened about five hours later.
The trooper involved in the crash remains on duty.
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