The young driver who was arrested this week for hitting a dozen different vehicles while recklessly driving on Interstate 5 was also recently arrested on suspicion of DUI earlier this week, officials have revealed. As MyNorthwest.com reports, the 22-year-old individual was booked Tuesday, December 6 for allegedly driving while under the influence of narcotics.
Two days later, the Lynnwood police apprehended him at after he struck 12 vehicles as he drove northbound on the I-5. While fleeing law enforcement, he took a U-turn onto an on-ramp into oncoming highway traffic. Fortunately, the suspect did not make it beyond the on-ramp—he exited the vehicle to flee on foot.
“Lynnwood police were able to apprehend him and waited for us to get there,” said Lynnwood State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson, who took part in the I-5 pursuit. “What I saw is that they were holding him down (when I got there). He was restrained and the fire department came to check him out. The decision was made to transport him to Harborview (Medical Center).”
“Mental Episode”
It still remains unclear what caused the suspect to drive recklessly on the I-5. As Trooper Johnson tells MyNorthwest.com: “We believe something is going on. We’re not sure as far as impairment, like if it is a mental episode or if something else was causing all this.”
The suspect's toxicology report from his earlier DUI arrest this week is still pending, but if he was under the influence of a controlled substance it was likely to affect his judgement and his ability to drive. Whether or not this was also the case in the I-5 incident remains to be seen—but if it is, the suspect will likely face serious charges. Minor injuries did result from the collisions reported on the I-5.
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