Trooper injured by suspected drunk driver
SEATAC, Wash. - A Washington State Patrol trooper was hospitalized after a suspected drunk driver crossed several lanes of Interstate 5 and slammed into the rear of the trooper's patrol car late Saturday.
The State Patrol said dispatchers had received multiple 911 calls about a possible drunk driver in a maroon 1989 Toyota Corolla driving south on I-5 in the SeaTac area, and the trooper was sent to investigate.
The trooper had pulled over on the right shoulder of southbound I-5 near 188th Street at about 10:30 p.m. in an attempt to locate the vehicle.
As the Toyota sped toward the trooper's car, it didn't even slow down as it crossed multiple lanes and slammed into the rear of the fully marked patrol car.
The force of the impact propelled the Toyota back onto the roadway, where it was hit by a black 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer.
The injured trooper, a 17-year veteran with the State Patrol, is 46 years old. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the Toyota Corolla, Julio Martins-Paes, 44, of Seattle, has a prior DUI conviction and was driving on a suspended license.
He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, and Martins-Paes will be charged with DUI.
No one was injured in the Mitsubishi.
The three right lanes of southbound I-5 north of 188th Street were closed for about three hours while troopers and detectives investigated the scene.
The State Patrol said dispatchers had received multiple 911 calls about a possible drunk driver in a maroon 1989 Toyota Corolla driving south on I-5 in the SeaTac area, and the trooper was sent to investigate.
The trooper had pulled over on the right shoulder of southbound I-5 near 188th Street at about 10:30 p.m. in an attempt to locate the vehicle.
As the Toyota sped toward the trooper's car, it didn't even slow down as it crossed multiple lanes and slammed into the rear of the fully marked patrol car.
The force of the impact propelled the Toyota back onto the roadway, where it was hit by a black 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer.
The injured trooper, a 17-year veteran with the State Patrol, is 46 years old. He was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The driver of the Toyota Corolla, Julio Martins-Paes, 44, of Seattle, has a prior DUI conviction and was driving on a suspended license.
He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Alcohol is believed to have been a factor in the crash, and Martins-Paes will be charged with DUI.
No one was injured in the Mitsubishi.
The three right lanes of southbound I-5 north of 188th Street were closed for about three hours while troopers and detectives investigated the scene.