A 19-year-old man died early Saturday after jumping over the barrier of Interstate 5 near the Ship Canal Bridge in an apparent attempt to get away from police, Washington State Patrol officials say.
A black BMW without license plates drove by a state trooper around 12:30 a.m. on I-5 in Seattle. The vehicle then sped up and caused a three-car crash, State Patrol spokesperson Trooper Rick Johnson said.
Johnson said the trooper was not pursuing the car.
The BMW tried to escape but lost a tire in the process. After, the occupants, two 19-year-old men, got out from the passenger side. One of them jumped over the barrier to evade police but fell to his death, Johnson said. The other is in police custody.
Johnson said it's unknown if the man who died was the driver. The State Patrol also did not know why he was trying to escape. He said the investigation is ongoing but the car doesn't appear to be stolen.
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