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Driver arrested for blowing past Puyallup school crossing guard with kids in street
Pierce County deputies arrested a 34-year-old man for reckless driving after he allegedly disregarded a school official and sped through a crosswalk at Glacier View Middle School in Puyallup.
PUYALLUP, Wash. - Pierce County Sheriff’s deputies say they arrested a man for reckless driving after he disregarded a school official and drove through a crosswalk while kids were in the street.
According to investigators, the driver, 34-year-old Kohl Winters, should not have even been behind the wheel. Sheriff’s officials said Kohl already had a suspended license.
"He clearly is a risk to the students on campus," said Deputy Carley Cappetto with the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
The incident happened on Feb. 10 at Glacier View Junior High School in Puyallup.
Deputies arrested Winters for reckless driving as well as driving while suspended.
Video captured the incident
The backstory:
Video from inside the car, posted by the sheriff’s office, shows the suspect cursing out the crossing guard.
In the video, you can hear the driver say, "Shut the **** up. There was no one crossing. I have video."
The sheriff’s office also released body camera footage of deputies arresting Winters the following day.
In the video, the suspect refuses to get out of his car and argues with deputies. After several warnings, a deputy smashes open the suspect’s window, takes him out of the car, and arrests him.
Not a one-off issue
Big picture view:
Cappetto tells FOX 13 Seattle there have been several incidents at Pierce County schools this year which could easily have been avoided.
"This year we’ve had four incidents where we've had students be hit by a vehicle either in a crosswalk or on school campus," she said.
Cappetto tells FOX 13 Seattle that thankfully, none of the students were seriously injured.
Disregarding a school crossing guard, or driving through a crosswalk with students in it could lead to a reckless driving charge, Cappetto tells FOX 13 Seattle.
The suspect, Winters, tells FOX 13 Seattle he cannot comment on the incident due to the current legal case.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.