Man charged in Puyallup, WA crash that injured family of 4

Man accused in serious Puyallup DUI crash in court

A 21-year-old man accused of causing a crash in Puyallup while fleeing from police, nearly killing a 3-year-old child, appeared in court Friday.

PUYALLUP, Wash. - A 21-year-old man is charged with a slew of crimes after allegedly causing a Puyallup crash that critically injured a toddler and three other people.

Rex Graydon was allegedly trying to escape from a traffic stop when he T-boned a family's SUV while running a red light at the intersection of 31st Avenue Southeast and South Meridian.

Multi-car crash site at 31st Avenue SW in Puyallup

Graydon is charged with several counts, including vehicular assault, obstruction, reckless driving, and driving with a suspended license.

Rex Graydon

The backstory:

It happened on Dec. 21, where a trooper pulled over Graydon in a parking lot under suspicion that his license was suspended. Graydon allegedly had bloodshot eyes, reeked of marijuana, and was acting "erratic" during the traffic stop.

Graydon put his car into gear and sped out of the parking lot after stating he had lost his ID, according to court documents. Police said he nearly struck several other vehicles while pulling out of the parking lot.

The officer radioed that Graydon was fleeing and relayed his direction of travel, but did not pursue the suspect. Soon after, the crash happened, severely injuring multiple people.

A three-year-old child was nearly killed, suffering a traumatic head injury, and a pregnant woman was forced to have an emergency C-section after breaking her pelvis. A GoFundMe has been set up to help the impacted family.

Prosecutors said Graydon has an extensive history of traffic infractions, including 17 infractions, seven unresolved citations, and many driver's license suspensions. He also apparently had a warrant for a stolen firearm in Pierce County, and a list of other past felonies.

Graydon is being held on $250,000 bail.

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