A 43-year-old man has been charged with crashing into multiple vehicles last week in Lakewood and killing one person.
Gregory McNeil was charged with one count of vehicular homicide for the April 17 crash on South Tacoma Way. Prosecutors say McNeil might have been intoxicated when he crashed his Ford Fusion into five other cars, charging documents show.
A plea of not guilty was entered on McNeil's behalf at his arraignment last week. A Pierce County Court commissioner set his bail at $300,000, records show.
Lakewood police were dispatched to the crash at the intersection of Perkins Lane Southwest and South Tacoma Way. Upon arrival, police noted that all five vehicles sustained damage. The victim, referred to as J. Bishop in documents, was trapped in the driver's seat of his Toyota Corolla. He was unresponsive and extracted from the vehicle. Bishop was pronounced deceased at the hospital, document show.
A witness told officers that he was driving a motorcycle in front of McNeil's Ford. The Ford was driving at a high speed when it ran through a red light on South Tacoma Way, striking Bishop's vehicle. The occupants of the other vehicles that were struck were not injured, prosecutors wrote.
When officers spoke to McNeil, he was reportedly standing in the middle of the intersection and said, "I don't even know what is going on... I am a sovereign person. My name is Kevin Hart. I think the illuminati are coming after me," document show.
McNeil identified the Ford as his vehicle and an officer allegedly detected a faint odor of alcohol, but she was unsure if it was coming from the suspect. McNeil was then placed in the backseat of a patrol car, documents show.
A Tacoma Police Department drug-recognition expert spoke to McNeil and allegedly detected the smell of alcohol on him that was consistent with a cocktail-type drink. He also noted small burned marijuana roaches on the passenger-side floorboard of the Ford. There was also a small glass jar inside the car with no lid. He also detected the marijuana smell in the Ford, prosecutors wrote.
McNeil was arrested for vehicular homicide. Police discovered a weed pen in McNeil's pocket. His toxicology results are pending, document show.
McNeil has 27 warrants in his criminal history as well as prior convictions for attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle and DUI, prosecutors wrote.
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