King County prosecutors have formally charged both drivers with vehicular homicide in the Federal Way crash that killed a 16-year-old high school student on a sidewalk on October 23 — a major new development in a case Awaaz Punjab first reported when one driver was arrested at the scene. The charges were filed on Wednesday, October 28, after a court hearing at which charging documents set out, for the first time, the blood-alcohol readings of the driver accused of turning into oncoming traffic and the speed alleged against the second driver, who is now at large with a $200,000 warrant requested for his arrest.
Source: Federal Way Mirror via Issaquah Reporter
The crash happened at about 10:48 p.m. on Friday, October 23, at the intersection of Pacific Highway South and South 304th Street in Federal Way, King County, Washington. The 16-year-old, a Federal Way High School student and football player, was walking home after his team's win over White River and was standing on the sidewalk when he was struck. Police officers and fire personnel gave aid at the scene, but he died there, Federal Way police said.
Source: The Seattle Focal / Federal Way Police
What the charging documents say happened
According to the charging documents reported by the Federal Way Mirror, the first driver, a 29-year-old man driving a Ford F-150, was travelling northbound on Pacific Highway South and waiting in the westbound turn lane at South 304th Street, which had a flashing yellow light. A Lexus driven by the second man was travelling southbound at high speed through a green light. Prosecutors allege the F-150 driver failed to yield, made the left-hand turn and collided with the Lexus. The Lexus then struck the teenager on the sidewalk — the documents say he was thrown 121 feet across the parking lot of 30405 Pacific Highway South — before hitting a light post.
Source: Federal Way Mirror via Issaquah Reporter
Both drivers stayed at the scene. The F-150 driver was arrested that night on suspicion of driving under the influence and vehicular homicide, and Federal Way police said the department's Major Accident Investigation Team took over the investigation.
Source: The Seattle Focal / Federal Way Police
The charges, the bond and the driver who is at large
On Wednesday, October 28, the F-150 driver was formally charged with vehicular homicide on two grounds alleged by prosecutors — driving under the influence, and disregard for the safety of others. His bond was set at $200,000, and his arraignment is scheduled for November 2 at 9 a.m. in Kent, the Mirror reported. The breath and blood-alcohol figures in the documents — a preliminary reading of 0.170 at 11:16 p.m. and a later test of 0.124 at the Federal Way police department at 1:38 a.m. — are both above Washington's 0.08 legal limit.
Source: Federal Way Mirror via Issaquah Reporter
Prosecutors also charged the Lexus driver, a 20-year-old man, with vehicular homicide as a co-defendant, saying in the charging documents that he had been driving much faster than the roadway's 45 mph speed limit; KOMO News reported the alleged speed as 86 mph. Unlike the first driver, he is at large, and King County prosecutors have asked the court for a $200,000 warrant to bring him into custody.
Source: KOMO News
Vehicular homicide charges are allegations. Both men are presumed innocent unless and until the state proves the charges in court, and an arrest or a breath reading is not a conviction. The first driver's arraignment — where he will enter a plea — is set for November 2 in Kent.
A school and a city in mourning
In the days after the crash, teammates and family built a memorial of flowers, photographs and the teenager's favourite snacks in front of the Marathon gas station on Pacific Highway, near where he was killed. His family released a statement asking for privacy while they grieve and asking that all communication go through one family member. His head coach, Marcus Yzaguirre, posted: “We lost a student, player, friend, family member, and teammate… He is truly loved!” The Mirror said it had reached out to the coach and had not yet heard back directly.
Source: Federal Way Mirror via Issaquah Reporter
For Punjabi and other immigrant families across the Kent–Federal Way corridor of King County — one of Washington's most diverse suburban stretches — the case lands close to home: a teenager who did everything right, walking home on a sidewalk after a school game, was killed at an ordinary signalised intersection. Road-safety advocates in Washington have long warned that Pacific Highway South's wide, fast lanes are dangerous for people on foot, and prosecutors' decision to charge speed as well as impairment underlines that both halves of that danger are now before the court.
The first driver is due to be arraigned on November 2 at 9 a.m. in Kent on $200,000 bond. Police and prosecutors are seeking the second driver, who is at large, on a requested $200,000 warrant. The Federal Way Police Major Accident Investigation Team's work continues, and Awaaz Punjab will follow the arraignment and the search for the second driver.