Suspect in fatal hit-and-run on Aurora says she crashed on purpose, drove with eyes closed
Suspect in fatal hit-and-run on Aurora says she crashed on purpose, drove with eyes closed
A 23-year-old woman accused of crashing a car into four pedestrians and killing two of them just north of the Aurora Bridge Friday afternoon told police she crashed on purpose and had her eyes closed when it happened. According to court documents, witnesses saw a Nissan Sentra driving at a high rate of speed strike a curb then fly into the air. When Seattle Police officers arrived on scene near North 40th Street and Aurora Avenue North, one of the victims, a woman, was dead. Another victim was taken to a local hospital and later died of their injuries. Two other pedestrians struck by the vehicle were also injured and taken to an area hospital. One of those victims, a 25-year-old, has since been released from the hospital. The condition of the fourth victim is unknown.
SEATTLE -- A 23-year-old woman accused of crashing a car into four pedestrians and killing two of them just north of the Aurora Bridge Friday afternoon told police she crashed on purpose and had her eyes closed when it happened.
According to court documents, witnesses saw a Nissan Sentra driving at a high rate of speed strike a curb then fly into the air. When Seattle Police officers arrived on scene near North 40th Street and Aurora Avenue North, one of the victims, 28-year-old Rebecca Richman, was dead. Another victim, 26-year-old Michael Richman, was taken to a local hospital and later died of his injuries.
Two other pedestrians struck by the vehicle were also injured and taken to an area hospital. One of those victims, a 25-year-old, has since been released from the hospital. The condition of the fourth victim is unknown.
The driver of the vehicle ran away from the scene, but a man who was riding a King County Metro bus got off the bus and chased her, attempting to keep her near the scene until police arrived. Police briefly struggled with her as they tried to arrest her while she was changing clothes.
The woman was "laughing and speaking nonsensically," and police suspected she was high on methamphetamine.
The woman had droopy eyes and slurred speech, but she refused a sobriety test, court documents state. She eventually told police that she crashed on purpose and had closed her eyes when the crash happened.
She's facing charges of vehicular homicide, felony hit & run, and vehicular assault, but has not been charged yet. Q13 does not typically name suspects until they are formally charged with a crime. She doesn't have a criminal history in Washington state, according to records.
The woman refused to leave her jail cell for her first appearance Saturday and has a bond hearing Monday afternoon.