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FILED
2020 JUL 08 03:20 PM
KING COUNTY
SUPERIOR COURT CLERK
E-FILED
CASE #: 20-1-04537-0 SEA

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SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR KING COUNTY
THE STATE OF WASHINGTON,
Plaintiff,
v.
DAWIT KELETE,
Defendant.

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INFORMATION

Count 1 Vehicular Homicide
That the defendant DAWIT KELETE in King County, Washington, on or about July 4,
2020, did drive a motor vehicle which proximately caused injury to Summer Taylor, a person
who died within three years on or about July 4, 2020, as a proximate result of said injury; and
that the defendant at said time was operating the vehicle in a reckless manner;
Contrary to RCW 46.61.520(1)(b), and against the peace and dignity of the State of
Washington.
Count 2 Vehicular Assault

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No. 20-1-04537-0 SEA

I, Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney for King County in the name and by the
authority of the State of Washington, do accuse DAWIT KELETE of the following crimes:
Vehicular Homicide, Vehicular Assault, Reckless Driving, committed as follows:

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That the defendant DAWIT KELETE in King County, Washington, on or about July 4,
2020, did drive or operate a vehicle in a reckless manner and caused substantial bodily harm to
Diaz Love;
Contrary to RCW 46.61.522(1)(a), and against the peace and dignity of the State of
Washington.

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Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney

INFORMATION - 1

CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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And further do charge that the injuries of the victim of the current offense substantially
exceeded the level of bodily harm necessary to satisfy the elements of the crime, under the
authority of RCW 9.94A.535(3)(y)

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Count 3 Reckless Driving
That the defendant DAWIT KELETE in King County, Washington, on or about July 4,
2020, did drive a motor vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons and
property;
Contrary to RCW 46.61.500, and against the peace and dignity of the State of
Washington.
DANIEL T. SATTERBERG
Prosecuting Attorney

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By:

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Amy J. Freedheim, WSBA #19897
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney

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Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney

INFORMATION - 2

CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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CAUSE NO. 20-1-04537-0 SEA
PROSECUTING ATTORNEY CASE SUMMARY AND REQUEST FOR BAIL AND/OR
CONDITIONS OF RELEASE
The State incorporates by reference the Certification for Determination of Probable Cause
prepared by Detective Todd W Early of the Washington State Patrol for case number 20-010671.
In the early morning hours after midnight on Saturday July 4, 2020, 24yO Summer
Taylor and 32yO Diaz Love were both participating in a demonstration in which they and several
others had blocked the SB lanes of I-5. The protest was part of the Black Femme March and for
the past several nights, protesters have marched from the Capitol Hill area of Seattle down to the
West Precinct of the Seattle Police Department and then returned eastbound and blocked the
highway, before generally returning to Capitol Hill. The demonstrators were part of the Black
Lives Matter protest movement. This group is demonstrating, among other reasons, against
systemic racism.
Washington State Patrol (WSP) has closed I-5 between SR 520 and I-90 during the hours
that the demonstrators have been on the highway. This is accomplished by placing marked
patrol cars at the entrance ramps and preventing vehicles from entering the highway.
The evening of July 3 into the early morning hours of July 4, 2020 was no different. The
entrance ramps to SB and NB I-5 were blocked between SR 520 and I-90. Exit ramps in that
stretch were not blocked by patrol but are replete with warnings to alert any driver that they
would be going the Wrong Way and to Not Enter were it to be used to enter the highway. The
highway had been closed for several hours by the time this event occurred.
The Stewart Street exit ramp from the mainline of I-5 connects the SB mainline down a
ramp, past the lower level of I-5 (containing the Express lanes), running parallel to Eastlake Ave
Prosecuting Attorney Case
Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
Summary and Request for Bail
W554 King County Courthouse
and/or Conditions of Release - 1
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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E (which is along the east side of REI) as it continues to slope down until it merges onto Eastlake
Ave E just before the intersection with Stewart St. Stewart St is a one-way street that travels SW
into downtown Seattle (away from I-5). The closest entrance ramp for SB I-5 in that area is the
Yale Street entrance ramp. The Yale Street entrance ramp is at the intersection of Yale St and
Howell Street. Howell St is a one-way street from downtown Seattle (towards I-5) that is a block
away and parallel to Stewart St. Howell St continues past Yale St and curves north (left) to
become Eastlake Ave which several yards later arrives at the intersection with Stewart St (and
the exit ramp).
It was a clear night and the roadways were dry. The temperature was approximately
55°F. The weather was fair. There is ample ambient lighting in the areas involved in this
incident. I-5 at the area of the collision is composed of five SB lanes of travel separated by white
painted skip lines (except the far-left lane which is the HOV lane and separated by a solid white
painted line). The shoulders are separated by solid painted lines. The posted speed limit is
60mph and the roadway is in good repair.
Just before 1:36AM, the defendant, 27yO Dawit Kelete, was driving his white Jaguar
XJL. He was captured on REI security video driving the wrong-way up the Stewart Street I-5
exit ramp. There are numerous red signs warning that the driver is going the Wrong Way and
Do Not Enter. Since this is an exit ramp from the SB lanes, a driver must make a deliberate and
sharp right U-turn in order to drive SB on I-5.
The demonstrators, including the two who would be struck, had returned from downtown
and had predominately used the Yale Street entrance ramp to enter I-5. Three vehicles had been
placed by the demonstrators perpendicular across the SB lanes of I-5 just north of the gore point
Prosecuting Attorney Case
Summary and Request for Bail
and/or Conditions of Release - 2

Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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marking the entrance ramp as it merges onto I-5. Most of the group was directly south of these
vehicles in the travel lanes. On this night the group had performed a group dance and by
1:36AM, they were standing and sitting deciding their next move. Onlookers lined the
overpasses watching the group. Several people were live-streaming or videoing the events both
from the overpasses and in the group on the highway. The investigation includes many of these
videos.
The defendant was first noticed by the demonstrators as he drove at freeway speeds in
lane one toward the barricade of three vehicles. He was approximately half-way between the
Stewart St exit and the Yale St entrance. I-5 makes a slight right curve in this stretch and the
Stewart St exit is not visible from this area.
As the demonstrators yelled “car” and began running off the SB lanes westbound, the
defendant drove onto the right shoulder. He did not slow but continued driving at freeway
speeds on the shoulder. He passed the barricade of cars. The shoulder ends in the gore point
(the paint identified triangular area between the merging entrance lane and the main travel lanes).
Before him were running pedestrians with most of the persons to his right in the merge lane. The
defendant veered sharply left and directly into Summer Taylor and Diaz Love, who were not able
to run off the road.
Mx. Taylor and Mx. Love were struck in the center of the of the car and were thrown up
and over the car. Mx. Taylor suffered catastrophic injuries. With their family by their side, Mx.
Taylor died at 6:32PM.

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Prosecuting Attorney Case
Summary and Request for Bail
and/or Conditions of Release - 3

Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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Mx. Love suffered multiple fractures of her legs and arm and internal injuries. She was
in the Intensive Care Unit for several days and remains hospitalized at least 4-days after the
crash.
The defendant stopped several hundred yards from the scene. He was approached by
witnesses who yelled at him to exit the vehicle. After the witness began hitting and pushing his
vehicle, the defendant drove away at a high speed. He was immediately followed by a vehicle
driven by a man who later advised he was informally providing security to the demonstrators.
He was able to maneuver in front of the defendant’s car and get the defendant to stop after two
attempts, was finally able to block the defendant’s ability to drive further. Police arrived minutes
later, and the defendant was still in the vehicle. He exited the vehicle, the sole occupant, at the
police instruction and was taken into custody. The defendant later asked, “are they ok?”
presumably referring to the victims he had struck.
A responding Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) officer arrived to contact the defendant.
The DRE performed roadside Field Sobriety Tests. The defendant provided a portable breath
test showing no alcohol consumption. He denied taking any medication. He told the DRE that
he had worked until 10:00PM and indicated that he remained after work since it was a family
business. The DRE did no other drug detection testing and opined that the defendant was not
impaired. However, the defendant told Jail personnel that he would be withdrawing from
Percocet and that he struggles with an untreated addiction. A search warrant authorizing the
collection and testing of the defendant’s blood was approved several hours after the crash and
those results are pending.

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Prosecuting Attorney Case
Summary and Request for Bail
and/or Conditions of Release - 4

Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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A search warrant was approved to enter the defendant’s car. Several implements
commonly used to smoke illegal substances and a substance that appears similar to crystal
methamphetamine were recovered from the car. The substance is pending testing at the Crime
Laboratory.

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The State requests bail set in the amount of $1,200,000.00 (this is the amount Ordered by the 1st
Appearance Court). Additional conditions requested include no possession or consumption of
any drug, no driving without a valid license and insurance, no moving violations.
The defendant has criminal history that includes a minor intoxicated in a public place
(3/3/2012) and a peace and order violation (8/29/2015). Both of these occurred in Pullman,
WA when he was 19yO and 22yO respectfully. He has at least one FTA (6-18-2019 citation)
since 2016. He has been involved in two collisions that noted no injuries and both were two car
collisions (8-9-17, 12-27-13).
According to Court Services the defendant lives with his parents. He told Court
Services that he works as a cashier at an Arco and that he was a full-time student. A man
identified as the defendant’s brother verified the defendant’s address and employment to Court
Services. The defendant denied having any known mental health issues or being concerned
about mental health issues. He stated that he was struggling with an addiction to Percocet and
had never received treatment. He had no mental health concerns.

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Signed and dated by me this 8th day of July, 2020.
Prosecuting Attorney Case
Summary and Request for Bail
and/or Conditions of Release - 5

Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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Amy J. Freedheim, WSBA #19897
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney

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Prosecuting Attorney Case
Summary and Request for Bail
and/or Conditions of Release - 6

Daniel T. Satterberg, Prosecuting Attorney
CRIMINAL DIVISION
W554 King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue
Seattle, WA 98104-2385
(206) 296-9000 FAX (206) 296-0955

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Cause Number:

CERTIFICATION FOR DETERMINATION OF PROBABLE CAUSE

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That I, Detective Todd W. Early, with the Washington State Patrol, have reviewed the
investigation conducted in the Washington State Patrol case number 20-010671; There is
probable cause to believe that Kelete, Dawit DOB: 12-27-1992 committed the crime(s) of:
Vehicular Homicide - R.C.W. 46.61.520, Vehicular Assault- R.C.W. 46.61.522
This belief is predicated on the following facts and circumstances:
On Saturday, July 4, 2020, atl :36 a.m., Washington State Patrol (WSP) Communications
received reports of a collision involving a white sedan and two pedestrians. The collision
occurred southbound (SB) on Interstate 5 (I-5) near Olive Way. I-5 was closed between State
Route 520 and Interstate 90 (I-90) because a group of protesters had entered the freeway. WSP
had been closing this section ofl-5 for the past several nights while the demonstrations occurred
on I-5 by utilizing patrol vehicles and Department of Transportation vehicles to block entrance
ramps to I-5. Detectives' recovered video from REI located at 222 Yale Ave Nin Seattle which
showed a white vehicle entering the Stewart off ramp in the wrong direction at 1 :34 a.m.
Detective Early recognized the vehicle as what he thought was the suspect vehicle based on the
time of the event, shape, color, and dark tinted windows of the vehicle. The exit ramp from I-5 to
Stewart Street was not blocked however it is marked with clear signage of Wrong Way and Do
Not Enter at the base of the off ramp. There is a second set of Wrong Way signs farther up the
ramp. Additionally there are red reflectors facing to the south and painted arrows indicating the
direction of travel. All of which would have been visible to the driver. The vehicle then
proceeded onto southbound I-5, as seen on provided witness video, travelling toward the
protesters. The public video showed the white vehicle approached the Yale on-ramp initially in
lane one with its emergency flashers activated. There is a white van parked on I-5 perpendicular
to the lanes of travel, oriented to the east. The van is blocking lanes one and two. The van was

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one of three protestar vehicles utilized to block the lanes of travel north of where the
demonstrators were congregated. The white vehicle drove on the right shoulder to pass the white
van while at the same time a large group of protestors were running from the lanes of travel
towards the Y ale ramp to get out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. The white vehicle veered
to the left while applying its brakes, indicated by the illumination of brake lights, and re-entered
the lanes of travel oriented southwest. Summer Taylor, DOB: 07/26/1995 and Diaz Love, DOB:
1
O 1/18/1988
were standing in the roadway south of the blocking vehicles. At approximately :36
a.m. the white Jaguar XJL, bearing Washington registration: BPA6961, struck Taylor and Love,
sending them airborne, coming to rest on the roadway. Both Taylor and Love were transported
from the scene to Harborview Medical Center with fractures and internal injuries they sustained
from the impact by the Jaguar and landing at rest. Kelete initially stopped a few hundred yards
south of the scene. His vehicle was approached by protestors who could be heard on video
telling him to exit his vehicle. After protestors started hitting his vehicle, he drove southbound at
a high rate of speed. One of the protesters driving a gray Toyota Tundra followed the fleeing
Jaguar and attempted to block it.

Seattle Police Department officers and Washington State Patrol troopers were able to locate and
stop the fleeing Jaguar. The driver, Mr. Dawit Kelete (DOB: 12/27/1992), was taken into
custody SB on I-5 (JS) of the I-90 interchange. He was the registered owner of the Jaguar and
the sole occupant in the vehicle.

The Jaguar had visible contact damage to its front end. The hood was dented, and the windshield
shattered. It was evident the damage was fresh. The driver was provided with his constitutional
rights and he stated he understood them. The driver was asked ifhe would perform voluntary
field sobriety tests (SFSTs) and he agreed. These tests were performed by a drug recognition
expert (DRE). The trooper conducting the test made the initial assessment that Kelete was not
displaying signs of intoxication. Additionally, he provided a preliminary breath test (PBT) which
indicated a field BAC of 0.00. The driver was reserved and appeared sullen throughout his time
in custody. At one point he asked if the injured pedestrians were okay.

Kelete was contacted by detectives for an interview and invoked his rights. During the
preliminary screening process for booking into the King County Jail, Kelete was asked the
screening admission screening questions. These questions were asked in an open area and in the
presence of Trooper Alejandro Sanchez. Trooper Sanchez heard Kelete tell jail staff he would be
going through withdrawal for Percocet. Trooper Sanchez later relayed this information to
Detective Early.
On July 4, 2020, at 8:32 a.m. King County Superior Court (KCSC) Judge Matthew Williams
authorized a telephonic warrant for Detective Todd Early to enter the vehicle and secure a
cellular device in Faraday paper. On July 4, 2020, at 8:40 a.m., Detective Early, your Affiant,
while accompanied by Detective Vik Mauro, entered the white Jaguar bearing Washington
registration BP A6961 per court authorization to retrieve a cellular phone and place it in Faraday
paper. This was accomplished by opening the driver's door and reaching into the vehicle across
the driver's seat. It turned out what appeared to be the phone was actually a phone case and
another electronic device, no phone was located. As Detective Early was preparing to close the
vehicle, he noticed a small piece of plastic or glass on the driver' floor area. It appeared to be in

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the shape of straw. Detective Early knows devices such as this are called "tubers" and are
common smoking devices for illicit drugs. Detective Early did not manipulate or remove the
item as it was outside the scope of the current authorization. Detective Early sealed the vehicle
and departed the area.
On July 4, 2020, at 4:46 p.m., (KCSC) Judge Williams authorized a search warrant for a legal
blood draw of Kelete. The blood draw was executed pursuant to the warrant. Those results are
pending.
On July 4, 2020, at 6:32 p.m., Summer Taylor succumbed to their injuries from the collision and
died in the presence of their family.

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On July 7, 2020, Detective Early applied for a search warrant to search Kelete's vehicle. The
warrant was authorized by (KCSC) Judge Williams at 3: 13 p.m. Detective Early, accompanied
by Detective Mauro began the search of the vehicle at 3:26 p.m. In the driver's compartment
area Detective Early photographed and removed a plastic smoking device (tuber) from the driver
area floorboard. Detective Early also photographed and removed from the driver floorboard,
O. 7
grams of a white crystalline substance believed to be methamphetamine and a small piece of
foil. In the pocket of the driver's door Detective Early removed a small metal tin which
contained three additional smoking devices (tubers). On the passenger's side floorboard
Detective Early photographed and removed a wallet containing the identification of Kelete and
several credit cards with his name on them.

Under penalty of perjury under the laws of the State of Washington, I certify that the foregoing is
true and correct. Signed and dated by me this 8 day of July 2020, in King County, Washington.

?Washington State Patrol, CID

 AGENCY:

CASE NUMBER

WAWSP0000

FILE NUMBER

PCN NUMBER

20-0't067',l

Washington State Patrol
DATE & TIME OF VOUTION

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NAME (LAST, FIRST, MIDDLEJR, SR, 1st,2nd)

IDENTITY IN DOUBT?

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