Kent Police arrested a 23-year-old Spanaway man for investigation of vehicular homicide after his Tesla reportedly ran a red light downtown and smashed into a red Toyota Prius at about 9:48 p.m. Wednesday, May 29 in the 200 block of Central Avenue North.
The crash killed Rahul Rahul, 24, of Kent, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. Rahul died of multiple blunt force injuries.
Paramedics transported Rahul, the driver and only occupant of the Prius, to a local hospital but he did not survive his injuries, according to a May 30 Kent Police news release. Kent Police incorrectly identified the driver as a 30-year-old Puyallup man in its initial news release.
Multiple Kent patrol officers and Puget Sound Fire firefighters and medics were dispatched after witnesses called 911 to report the crash and said that some occupants were trapped inside their vehicles.
Officers arrived within a minute of dispatch and immediately began to assess injuries, according to police. Rahul, the driver of a red Prius was unconscious inside his vehicle with the doors locked. Police and fire personnel broke the window to extract him for lifesaving treatment.
Witnesses reported that a Tesla had disregarded the southbound red light on Central Avenue North at Smith Street and collided with a gray Prius in the intersection, then collided with a red Prius that was leaving a restaurant parking lot, according to police. They reported that the red Prius was struck so hard it was pushed into a nearby wall.
Two of the three passengers in the Tesla had significant injuries and were transported to local hospitals for treatment, according to police. Paramedics transported the Tesla driver to the hospital for injuries and police later arrested him. A warrant was requested and approved to take his blood to test for intoxicants.
The gray Prius driver, who was alone in the vehicle, was not injured, according to police.
The Kent Police Traffic Unit is conducting the investigation as to all the circumstances leading up to the collision. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office is conducting the investigation to determine the cause of death and will release the identity of the Puyallup man.
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