A Seattle man received a three-month jail sentence for an August 2024 crash that injured a Federal Way man.
On Jan. 23, a King County Superior Court judge sentenced Edzon Gutierrez-Perez, 21, of Seattle, to three months in jail for vehicular assault while driving under the influence. This charge stems from an Aug. 22, 2024, incident where Gutierrez-Perez was driving on Interstate 5, just south of 188th Street in SeaTac, at over 120 mph when he crashed into a 54-year-old Federal Way man, who was then ejected from his vehicle through his windshield.
The Federal Way man was left with facial fractures as a result of the incident. At the time of the incident, the Washington State Patrol reported that the Federal Way man was not wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred, and neither was Gutierrez-Perez.
Washington State Patrol released a video showing the incident, which depicted Gutierrez-Perez’s vehicle crashing into the Federal Way man’s truck, causing it to get launched to the side of the highway.
“The choices made by drivers that get behind the wheel impaired are one hundred percent preventable and sadly lead to road closures, injuries, and fatalities,” Washington State Patrol said when the incident occurred.
In his guilty plea, Gutierrez-Perez states that he was intoxicated from drinking alcohol, and he was speeding at over 120 mph when he attempted to pass the Federal Way man’s vehicle, but he instead crashed into him. Court documents state that a blood draw showed that Gutierrez-Perez’s blood alcohol level was at 0.092 after the incident occurred.
With an offender score of zero, Gutierrez-Perez’s sentencing range for the crime of vehicular assault was between three months and nine months. The prosecution recommended a six-month sentence, while Gutierrez-Perez’s defense recommended a three-month sentence.
His defense argued that because he is a first-time offender, spent 15 months on electronic home detention, his age and his plans to pursue college, he should not serve more than three months.
Details of the case
Documents state that at 1:04 a.m. Aug. 22, 2024, a white 2021 Kia Sportage, driven by Gutierrez-Perez, and a white 2022 Toyota Tacoma, driven by the Federal Way man, were traveling northbound on I-5 just south of 188th Street. The Kia Sportage was traveling at a high rate of speed, attempting to maneuver around the Toyota Tacoma, when it struck the rear of the Toyota Tacoma, causing both vehicles to roll over on their tops.
An officer found the Federal Way man about five feet in front of his truck, semi-conscious and semi-alert. The truck’s windshield was pushed out to the outside, indicating that the man had been ejected through his windshield. An officer later visited the Federal Way man at the hospital, and he was alert and conscious, stating that he sustained some broken facial bones and had soreness in his right ribs.
Officers at the scene assessed Gutierrez-Perez, and he had some minor leg injuries, smelled of alcohol, and his eyes were bloodshot and watery. Documents state that Gutierrez-Perez said he was heading home after dinner, and that he had not consumed alcohol.
Officers took a breath test at the scene, and Gutierrez-Perez’s blood alcohol level was 0.106. He was subsequently booked into jail for a vehicular assault investigation. Later that morning, a citizen contacted Washington State Patrol and let them know that he had dashcam footage of the incident.
