Trooper shoots, kills man on I-5

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By KOMO Staff

Summary

A trooper shot and killed a man in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 in Federal Way on Christmas Day. Troopers said the 27-year-old man jumped out of a car and began running aimlessly through traffic while exposing himself.

Story Published: Dec 25, 2007 at 4:27 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jun 17, 2010 at 2:26 PM PDT

Trooper shoots, kills man on I-5
FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- A trooper shot and killed a man in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5 on Christmas Day.

Washington State Patrol spokesman Cliff Pratt said the 27-year-old man jumped out of a car and began making a scene on an off-ramp near South 320th Street around 2:30 p.m. A woman who was riding in the car with him tried to get him back inside to no avail.

The man then wandered into the lanes of traffic and began aimlessly running around.

"At one point, he was exposing himself, had his pants off, and he was running around taking what was left of his belt and slamming it against passersby, cars that were driving by," Pratt said.

Shortly after the incident began, troopers received several 911 calls about the man.

After the man had been carrying on for about 14 minutes, a trooper arrived on the scene. The trooper tried to calm the man, but the man would not cooperate.

"Apparently, from what witnesses say, he (the trooper) just stopped, got out of his car, attempted to talk to the subject. And the subject ran straight at him," said Pratt.

Pratt said the man attacked the trooper, throwing punches at him and prompting the trooper to use a Taser on him.

But the man was not weakened by the Taser and reportedly tried to choke the trooper.

The situation ended when the trooper fired at least one shot and hit the man on the northbound shoulder of the interstate near exit 143. The man died on the scene.

It is not known where the man was hit. It is also not clear whether the man was displaying a weapon of any kind.

"Whether there was a weapon there or not, if the subject actually jumped onto the trooper and tried to strangle him, that's obviously justifiable force to do what we have to do to make sure the trooper is OK," Pratt said.

Drivers and passengers who had been waiting inside their stopped cars for the situation to clear off the roadway witnessed the shooting.

The killed man's identity is not known. It is not known why the man was running around the interstate.

The trooper involved in the shooting is said to have been with the Washington State Patrol for more than ten years. It is not known whether he retained any injuries. The trooper has been put on administrative leave as is standard practice following an officer-involved shooting.

The ongoing situation has triggered backups in both directions of I-5. Detectives shut down the two left northbound lanes and the southbound HOV lane for several hours on Tuesday night to investigate.

The investigation is ongoing. The Federal Way Police Department is handling the case.