LAKE STEVENS — One man died and another was flown to a Seattle hospital with extensive injuries Thursday morning after a driver attempted to outrun police and crashed a car into a Lake Stevens home.
A man who was sleeping inside the home at the time told reporters that at first he thought the noise was from lightning. He saw light and heard breaking glass.
Only people inside the fleeing Honda Civic were injured, but the home sustained extensive damage, officials said.
The drama unfolded around 3:20 a.m. when a police officer attempted to stop the Civic at the intersection of Highways 9 and 92.
The officer activated emergency lights on Highway 92 and turned southbound on 99th Avenue.
Officers attempted to catch up to the Civic but found it had lost control and slammed into a home in the 2700 block of 99th Avenue, officials said.
The driver, 31, was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett before being flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
His passenger, Nicholas R. Peterson, 26, of Lake Stevens, died inside the car from head injuries, according to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. His death was ruled an accident.
Raul Gutierrez was sleeping on the couch next to the front window in the home where the Civic crashed. He was thrown from the couch but sustained no injuries.
The car ended up inches from where Gutierrez was sleeping, according to The Herald’s news partner, KIRO 7 TV.
“I have all my life believed in God and the Virgin and saints,” he said. “That’s how I was raised. And now I see this. I believe more now.”
Lake Stevens police called for assistance from a team of Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office detectives who specialize in motor vehicle crashes.
Reporter Rikki King contributed to this story.
Eric Stevick: 425-339-3446; estevick@heraldnet.com
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