TACOMA, Wash. — A man who was arrested for allegedly hitting two pedestrians and another car head-on while driving under the influence didn’t appear to grasp the situation he was in, according to court documents.
On Nov. 11, around 2 p.m., two men in their 30s — one on a bicycle and the other on a skateboard — were crossing 96th Street South outside the crosswalk when the eastbound driver hit them.
Witnesses told authorities the driver appeared to speed up just before the impact.
After striking the men, the vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and crashed head-on into another car, which had a 2-year-old inside.
The bicyclist went through the windshield and suffered life-threatening injuries, police said. The skateboarder was not injured, and the mom and child in the other car had some cuts and bruises.
When deputies arrived on the scene, they found the alleged DUI driver with his face cut up from the crash.
According to court documents, it was “evident due to slurred speech and odor [of intoxicants] that he was under the influence of alcohol.”
While deputies spoke with the driver, it seemed he was “unable to recollect whether he hit a person,” court docs said.
“When [he] was placed into my vehicle, he would ask if he had hit anyone with his car. I advised him multiple times about what occurred, but he struggled to grasp the situation despite multiple attempts to tell him what happened,” a deputy wrote in court documents.
In his interview with police, the driver said he was coming back from a casino when “suddenly, someone hit him.” The driver denied drinking at the casino and did not wish to answer additional questions without a lawyer present.
He has been booked for vehicular assault, making a false statement, and reckless driving.
Blood test results are pending.
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