A high speed police chase ended in horror Tuesday night when a Mini Cooper driven by a man allegedly under the influence flew off a ferry dock, plunging into Puget Sound and killing two passengers.
High speed chase ends in tragedy
The crash followed two separate attempts by law enforcement to pull over the driver for reckless driving at speeds reaching up to 120mph.
Officers later described the aftermath as chaotic and tragic, as first responders tried to save the five occupants submerged in the cold waters.
Bodycam footage captured the frantic moments that unfolded after the vehicle, occupied by the driver and four passengers, breached the gate at the Edmonds Ferry Terminal in Seattle, and crashed headfirst into the water.
Officers from multiple agencies quickly responded and began tossing life vests and flotation devices toward the survivors, whose screams echoed from the water below.
One female survivor, who appeared calmer than the rest, was instructed by officers to secure a flotation device around another passenger who was struggling.
Three people were pulled from the water and rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.
The 29-year-old driver, identified as a resident of Tulalip, was among the survivors.
Officials suspect he was impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time of the crash.
Tragically, two passengers did not survive. The victims were later identified as a 45-year-old woman from Lakewood and a 48-year-old woman from Auburn.
Their bodies were retrieved from the submerged vehicle by dive teams.
Authorities are currently withholding their names pending family notification.
High speed chase began after impaired driver seen speeding
The initial pursuit began just after 11 p.m. when a Washington State Trooper observed the Mini Cooper traveling 19 mph over the speed limit on southbound I-5.
When the trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver refused to pull over, prompting a brief chase.
The trooper soon abandoned the pursuit due to public safety concerns.
But minutes later, the same Mini Cooper was spotted by a deputy from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office.
The driver continued to evade law enforcement, this time accelerating to roughly 120mph as he wove through traffic.
The pursuit carried on through Mountlake Terrace and into Edmonds, where the driver managed to temporarily escape law enforcement surveillance.
It wasn’t until an officer noticed a destroyed gate at the ferry terminal that authorities realized the extent of what had occurred.
Investigators believe the driver bypassed traffic cones, smashed through the gate at the dock’s edge, and launched the vehicle directly into Puget Sound.
Witnesses at the scene described hearing a loud crash, followed by stunned silence.
One bystander told KOMO News that the car appeared to “launch” into the air, stating: “He did not slow down at all.”
Video footage later showed crews retrieving the fully submerged Mini Cooper, which had sunk around 40 feet beneath the surface of the water.
As of Wednesday morning, the driver remained hospitalized under police custody.
No formal charges had been announced, but authorities indicated that the suspect would likely face multiple felony counts once released from the hospital.
Police pursuit ends in shootout
Elsewhere, a violent fugitive accused of killing his mother and stepfather in Arizona met his end in a shootout with police in Missouri.
Authorities say 23-year-old Francis Alcantar Chavez fled the scene after allegedly murdering 53-year-old Cynthia Templeton and 62-year-old Troy Templeton in their Taylor, Arizona, home on Sunday.
The victims were found by Cynthia Templeton’s ex-husband when he returned the children to the residence.
Law enforcement issued a nationwide alert for Chavez and located him Tuesday evening nearly 1,000 miles away in Concordia, Missouri.
After evading local police once, Chavez was later confronted by Missouri State Troopers.
According to police, Chavez crashed his motorcycle into a patrol car and fled on foot.
When one trooper gave chase, Chavez reportedly turned and opened fire, striking the officer in his bulletproof vest.
The trooper returned fire, fatally shooting Chavez. The officer was hospitalized but is expected to fully recover.
“This is a tragic incident that has shaken our community,” Snowflake-Taylor Police Chief Robert Martin said.
“Our hearts to go out to the loved ones of Troy and Cynthia during this incredibly difficult time,” he added.
