TULALIP — A man is accused of running over his stepmother and leaving her for dead Wednesday morning on the Tulalip Indian Reservation.
The woman, 53, later succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.
The suspect, 31, was booked into jail Thursday night. He’s under investigation for vehicular assault, hit-and-run and stealing his parents’ car.
Those allegations were filed before the woman died.
Tulalip police learned of the incident about 5 a.m. Wednesday. Someone called 911 after finding the woman on the road. She was unable to speak but was screaming in pain, according to the report. Her phone was missing, and the calls went straight to voicemail.
The woman had dropped off her husband at work earlier Wednesday morning. On the way, they spoke to their son, who was asking for help getting in touch with someone, police reported.
At the time, the son, who is described as homeless, seemed to be under the influence of methamphetamine.
The couple had seen him in person hours earlier. He came to their house about 1 a.m. Wednesday. He said he needed gas and became aggressive about it, so they asked him to leave, police were told.
About an hour after the phone call, the man reportedly crashed his car near Fourth Street and I-5 and ran from the scene.
That crash was near the area where the woman was found, on 19th Avenue NE, police noted. The man’s father told investigators there was no reason for his wife to be in that neighborhood.
Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives got in touch with friends of the suspect. They said he had stopped by their place Thursday afternoon and he was driving his parents’ vehicle. He reportedly told his friends he had gotten into an argument with his stepmother in the car while she was driving.
His story to his friends varied from there. He claimed she stopped and got out of the vehicle, leaving the car in gear and then getting run over. Alternately, he said he ran her over while turning around.
Police caught up with the man Thursday night in the area of 96th Street NW. He reportedly tried to drive away but was stopped when deputies rammed the car. The report alleges that he ingested heroin in the moments leading up to his arrest.
Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @rikkiking.
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