A multi-county police chase on Interstate 5 ended in Centralia Tuesday morning when the suspect’s vehicle collided with another before flipping over the Jersey barrier and landing on its top in the opposite lane.
Remarkably, a 14-month-old child — who was without a car seat inside the fleeing vehicle — went uninjured, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The Centralia Police Department said the pursuit reached speeds over 100 mph.
“You can outrun the speed limit, but you can't outrun physics,” the department wrote on Facebook following the incident.
The driver, Marc-Anthony D. Houston, 20, of Kent, is currently under investigation for possible charges. Troopers indicated drugs or alcohol were involved in the incident.
Houston and a passenger, Uleja S. Hale, 19, also from Kent, were transported to Providence Centralia Hospital with undisclosed injuries.
Another passenger, Darius J. Robertson, 20, of Auburn, was also transported to the hospital despite no reported injuries.
None of the occupants — including the toddler — were wearing seat belts, according to troopers.
The suspect’s vehicle, a 2014 Nissan Altima, was considered totaled.
The driver Houston struck prior to colliding with the barrier, Jeffrey C. Barnes, 51, of Tenino, sustained no injuries, according to troopers. Barnes was wearing a seatbelt.
His truck, a 2024 Ford F-450, received reportable damage.
According to troopers, a 2013 Honda Accord traveling in the southbound lane was damaged from debris caused by the Altima’s collision with the barrier.
Its driver, David K. Hansen, 76, and passenger, Debra A. Hansen, 71, of Fox Island, were uninjured. Both were wearing seatbelts.
According to the state patrol, officers from the Castle Rock Police Department began pursuing the Altima in Cowlitz County. The chase continued into Lewis County northbound on I-5.
The collision occurred near milepost 81 at about 10:49 a.m. when the Altima driven by Houston struck the rear of the F-450 in front of it, which led to the Altima colliding with the middle barrier.
Video released by the Washington Department of Transportation shows the aftermath of the collision as the Altima emerges from a gray cloud of debris as it spins and slides on its top in the southbound lane, somehow avoiding impact with two vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.
Both vehicles travelling southbound are seen pulling to the right to dodge the overturned Altima before it comes to rest blocking the entire lane.
A photo taken by a citizen after the vehicle had stopped shows one officer holding a toddler while another kneels behind a woman sitting on the ground just outside the vehicle.
“Don't be like this driver. Slow down. It's not worth the risk,” the Centralia Police Department wrote on Facebook.
According to police, the collision led to significant traffic delays on I-5 and congestion along the side streets of Centralia. Mellen Street was temporarily turned into a one-way street.
The Castle Rock Police Department has yet to release information regarding the chase that for reasons unknown led into Lewis County.
This article will be updated.
