Boyfriend charged in deadly Port Orchard crash

PORT ORCHARD, Wash. -- Two 17-year-old girls lost their lives in a high-speed car accident Monday night. Witnesses said they were racing with another vehicle driven by the boyfriend of one of the girls. That man, Robert Rundquist, is facing two counts of vehicular homicide

Police reports say the two cars were racing down Baby Boll Road at nearly double the posted speed limit when the girl's car went off the road. The other driver, 20-year-old Robert Rundquist, was arrested a couple of hours later.

Heavy fog and wet pavement made for dangerous driving on Monday night, but police say a late night race is likely the cause of these senseless deaths.

“I saw the two vehicles drag racing down the street,” said Aily Blaikie, who witnessed the crash. “I said to my husband, they’re gonna crash.”

Blaikie watched a Toyota Camry with three young women fly off the road and into a ditch. Trees finally stopped the car and that’s when Blaikie ran to help.

“I took her and was holding her in my arms and I could feel a slight pulse and it just stopped. Her friend was right next to her and you could hear her trying to breathe but there was just too much blood coming out of her mouth,” Blaikie remembered. “She died, she took her last breath in front of me. I was holding the driver in my arms and I just couldn’t let her go.”

The driver, 18-year-old Rebekah Barrett, and one of her passengers, 17-year-old Shanaia Bennett, died at the scene. A 17-year-old girl in the backseat was rushed to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries and has since been released.

Prosecutors say Barrett's boyfriend Rundquist is at fault for the crash.

Rundquist now faces two counts of vehicular homicide; his bail was set at $100,000.

It’s not the first time racing has been an issue for some times. Kitsap police hope this tragic accident can serve as a lesson to everyone.

“This applies not just to young people but to everybody,” said Scott Wilson with the Kitsap County Sheriff’s Office. “Take the 5 seconds to think what your actions could cause.”

Rundquist could face up to life in prison if he's convicted and up $100,000 in fines. He'll be back in front of a judge later this month.