Two 16-year-olds appeared before a judge today for their alleged role in Thursday’s deadly crash on Interstate 5.
One teen is charged with vehicular homicide and unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle. Another teen is charged with taking a motor vehicle without permission. Both pled not guilty.
The teens are also being linked to a crime spree in Pierce County. Tacoma Police say it started at 12:44 a.m. on Thursday when at least five masked suspects held up a clerk and customers at a 7-Eleven at 3116 Sixth Avenue in Tacoma. Several of the suspects had handguns.
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At about 5:30 a.m., a Lakewood officer spotted the suspects’ SUV in the Tillicum neighborhood and tried to pull it over, but the driver sped off. Only two of the suspects were in the vehicle at the time.
Seconds later, a semi-truck that was on the Berkeley Avenue overpass heading down to southbound I-5 was hit by the suspects’ SUV at a high speed. The impact caused the tractor, or cab, of the semi to spin around, and the driver was thrown from the truck and down onto I-5 below.
The driver was taken to the hospital, where he was declared dead.
The robbery suspects in the SUV were arrested.
On Friday, a judge denied their release from Remman Hall Juvenile Detention Center. Ordering that both 16-year-olds remain there until their next court appearance.
Family spoke on behalf of the suspects. The grandmother of the alleged driver says, “This was his first mistake and hopefully his last.” She told us her grandson is remorseful.
The mother of the alleged passenger says, “He’s an excellent kid. I think he just got caught up in the wrong decision.”
Police are still looking for the three other robbery suspects.
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