Man who shut down I‑90 with tennis ball bomb sentenced to 18 months in prison

At Monday’s sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge John H. Chun said Sokphana Soeung “displayed an alarming disrespect for the law and posed a risk to the community.”

“Someone could have been badly hurt, including yourself,” he added.

Prosecutors requested a two-year sentence, noting Soeung’s lengthy criminal history driven by drug addiction.

“The defendant’s decision to possess an explosive device and utilize it in the manner that he did on October 12, 2024, is alarming,” prosecutors said, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington. “Fleeing from law enforcement on a major interstate brimming with unsuspecting drivers in a stolen car while high on fentanyl is concerning enough. Electing to flee on foot with a tennis ball ‘bomb’ and a lighter in hand placed everyone present at risk of injury or worse, including the defendant.”

Chase on I-90 ended with a tackle and a tennis ball full of explosives

The incident started when Bellevue police officers went to Enatai Beach Park after it was reported that two men were sleeping in a running car. The car the men were in was a stolen black Mercedes, with drug paraphernalia littered about. When police approached the car, the suspect, Soeung, fled, driving over spike strips that punctured all four tires of the car in the process.

Both Bellevue Police and Washington State Patrol (WSP) followed the car in what was described as a “slow-speed chase.” The car eventually limped onto I-90 in the westbound direction.

Soeung never exceeded 10 miles per hour, according to WSP. The chase ended with a PIT (Precision Immobilization Technique) maneuver on the highway in Mercer Island.

“At that point, Soeung jumped from the car holding a black ball device in one hand and a lighter in the other. Ultimately, police tackled Soeung, and he dropped the ball-shaped item and the lighter,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. “An investigation revealed that the ball-shaped item was a tennis ball filled with explosive powder with a fuse. In the car, law enforcement found a second explosive device made with sparklers taped together.”

The bomb reportedly had 50 grams of explosive material within it.

A second person in the car jumped out of the vehicle before being taken into custody by police. The passenger claimed he didn’t know about the explosives. He was found with 50 fentanyl pills on his person.

In an interview with investigators, he said that he and Soeung had just smoked fentanyl and were planning on driving to Seattle, approximately 10 miles away.

The investigation shut down I-90 for an extensive period of time until the bomb squad on the scene determined there was no danger to the public or the I-90 bridge itself.

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