Man killed after laying down in front of traffic on Pacific Highway

Published 2:23 pm Thursday, June 10, 2021

A naked man who appeared to be suffering from a mental health crisis was killed in Federal Way early Thursday morning when he laid down in the road in front of oncoming traffic.

At about 2:30 a.m. June 10, Federal Way police officers were dispatched to a disturbance call at the Chevron station, located at 35505 Pacific Highway S., said Cmdr. Kurt Schwan.

Shortly thereafter, a 42-year-old man, who appeared to be suffering from a mental crisis, stripped off all his clothes and ran into traffic on Pacific Highway South, Schwan said.

He laid down in the roadway in front of oncoming traffic. He was struck by a vehicle and died at the scene, according to police.

The involved driver cooperated with the police investigation, showed no signs of impairment, and no crime was discovered as a result of the investigation, Schwan said.

The department’s Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) and Total Station responded and took over the investigation.