State troopers shut down part of Interstate 5 north of Maytown in Thurston County on Tuesday afternoon after a northbound pedestrian fleeing COVID-19 quarantine disrupted traffic.
Traffic was slowed and stopped at various points during the incident for about 90 minutes in the afternoon, Trooper Robert Reyer said. Toward the end of the incident, he said troopers and the state Department of Transportation stopped all traffic in both directions for about 10 minutes.
First responders apprehended the 43-year-old Seattle-area man and involuntarily committed him to Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Reyer said. No one was hurt during the incident, he added.
He said the man previously attempted to fly to Alaska from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport but was denied access because he had symptoms of COVID-19 and later tested positive. From there, Reyer said the man was taken to a Centralia quarantine facility.
“He was not happy about that,” Reyer said. “He left the quarantine facility against the doctor’s recommendation and started walking towards Seattle.”
He allegedly wanted to try his luck at the airport again and decided to go on foot via Interstate 5, Reyer said.
Troopers responded to a call at about 2:22 p.m. about the man traveling north on the left shoulder of the southbound lanes, Reyer said.
When they arrived, he said the man hopped over the median, crossed the northbound lanes and continued north from the right shoulder.
He reportedly called 911 several times, indicating he had COVID-19 and may try to commit suicide. Mental health professionals and medical aid attempted to help the man, Reyer said, but he fled into a wooded area near 113th Avenue Southwest.
The man later returned to Interstate 5, Reyer said, prompting troopers to completely close the roadway at 3:39 p.m. so he would not get hit by a car.
Reyer said troopers eventually apprehended the man on suspicion of trespassing, disorderly conduct and reckless endangerment.
“He basically did not resist, and he chose to allow troopers to take him into custody without force,” Reyer said.
After taking him to the hospital for a mental evaluation, Reyer said state patrol referred the case to the Thurston County Prosecutor’s Office, which will decide whether to charge the man.
