Police arrest Bellevue man after deadly hit-and-run crash

BELLEVUE, Wash. -- Investigators have arrested a man believed to be the driver involved in a deadly hit-and-run that took the life of a 35-year-old woman.

Bellevue police say when they arrived Wednesday night, officers found the victim and the car, but they were unable to locate the driver who left the scene.

Just before midnight, the 1992 Lexus LS slammed into a utility box near SE 60th St & 119th Ave SE in Bellevue. Police say the driver left the victim and took off. The accident knocked out power to a nearby apartment complex.

Overnight, police blocked off the intersection. Major Patrick Arpin said investigators are trying to determine how the woman was killed because it is unclear if she was a passenger in the car.

Around 7:25 a.m., a witness told police they saw a man covered in blood walking around an apartment building near the scene of the crash. Officers responded and took the 38-year-old Bellevue man into custody after a brief struggle.

The suspect was transported to Overlake Hospital. Once he is released, police said he would be booked for investigation of vehicular homicide and felony hit-and-run.

“We don’t know the cause of her death at this point, where she was in the car, if she was in the car, or outside the car,” said Major Arpin.

Investigators said the woman lived in Bellevue, but they are not releasing her name at this time.