Fleeing driver kills passenger in crash following high-speed police chase

Driver arrested by Sheriff’s deputies after elusion of police vehicle ends in fatal accident

Around 10 p.m. on the night of October 23, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) deputies were dispatched to a report of an unknown injury collision on Rainier Road SE.

In a social media post, TCSO stated that one of the responding deputies, coming from the Nisqually Valley area, activated their lights and sirens as they headed southbound on Meridian Road SE.

While en route to the initial collision scene, the deputy noticed a dark-colored vehicle performing "doughnuts" at the intersection of Meridian Rd SE and Mullen Rd SE.

It seemed that the vehicle's driver had become aware of the approaching deputy, which prompted the driver to flee southbound on Meridian Rd SE.

“The deputy sped up to identify the car, but the fleeing vehicle continued to speed away at estimated speeds of over 90mph in the 40mph zone,” TCSO stated.

The deputy immediately notified dispatch of the fleeing vehicle but clarified that they were not pursuing the car.

Instead, the priority remained on responding to the blocking collision, which had prompted the initial call.

A short while later, the deputy stumbled upon the fleeing vehicle, which had crashed in the middle of the road near 62nd Avenue SE, as seen in the dash camera from the police car.

The deputy approached the car and found the driver, a 21-year-old man from Olympia, still strapped into his seat.

The injured driver was transported to a local hospital for treatment but the passenger, another male in his early twenties, also from Olympia, did not survive the collision.

The driver was arrested after upon his hospital discharge and brought to Thurston County Jail on charges for vehicular homicide, reckless driving and 2nd degree malicious mischief.