Man arrested in deadly, fiery crash in Federal Way makes first court appearance

The man arrested in connection with a fiery crash in Federal Way that left one person dead over the weekend made his first court appearance Wednesday.

A judge set his bail at $150,000.

Police said the man was drunk when he caused the crash early Sunday at South 356th Street and Enchanted Parkway. The collision involved four vehicles, all of which burst into flames.

One driver was trapped and died at the scene. Another driver was critically hurt, suffering a possible pelvic fracture and a traumatic brain injury, according to police documents.

“It was a really tragic scene,” Casey McNerthney, a spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said.

Mother and children escaped ‘just prior to their vehicle being fully engulfed in flames’

According to the statement of probable cause, one vehicle “had a mother and her children in the vehicle at the time, but (they were) able to escape their vehicle without significant injury, just prior to their vehicle being fully engulfed in flames.”

“Officers later reviewed city street CCTV that showed (the suspect’s) red Audi traveling at a high rate of speed, failing to maintain his lane of travel, and running red lights from South 304 Street to South 356 Street, where the collision occurred,” the document stated.

The man was arrested on investigation of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, DUI, and reckless driving.

We are not naming him because he has not been charged.

In court documents, police said he has two speeding tickets on his record and “poses a significant threat to the community and has demonstrated a consistent escalating pattern of reckless driving.”

Prosecutors expect to make a charging decision by Friday afternoon.

Frank Lenzi is the News Director for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here.

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