Seattle-area court releases 17-year-old suspect in DUI that killed US Army veteran

Police arrested a 17-year-old driver who was allegedly involved in the crash on suspicion of DUI and vehicular homicide. The unidentified minor admitted to vaping but said he did not know what was in the vape, according to police.

Officer Seth Tyler of the Bellevue Police Department told KOMO News, “We are still investigating this crash, but what it does appear is that a juvenile driver was making a turn at that location, did not see the motorcycle, and unfortunately, there was the collision.”

In court Tuesday afternoon, King County prosecutors argued for probable cause for vehicular homicide. However, the Court found that there was insufficient information in the police report to find that the 17-year-old driver was high and released the suspect.

Bellevue Police are sending the 17-year-old’s blood test to the State Patrol Crime Lab, but those results could take days. The teen has no prior criminal history and the Court said that based on the police report it didn’t find that the suspect was driving in a reckless manner, or with disregard for the safety of others based on the police report.

King County Prosecutors told The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI that “Separate from DUI, driving in a reckless manner, or driving with disregard for the safety of others are alternative prongs under the law that the Court can use to find probable cause for vehicular homicide.”

However, charges can be filed later when additional information is received from investigators, and prosecutors anticipate receiving the full report from Bellevue Police investigators soon. Tomaszewski is survived by his wife and his four-year-old daughter.