A man running from a traffic stop was killed Thursday when he was hit by two cars on Interstate 5 near Tacoma.

The first car that hit the man did not stop and the driver was being sought, the Washington State Patrol said.

The dead man was identified as Michael Hallberg, a 45-year-old resident of the Tacoma area, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

The incident began shortly before 1 a.m. when Fife police stopped a suspected drunken driver just south of the 54th Street exit of I-5.

Police discovered that Hallberg, a passenger in the car, had warrants for his arrest, the State Patrol reported. The warrants were for driving with a suspended license, failure to transfer title, fourth-degree assault and felony eluding.

Officers opened the passenger door to arrest Hallberg and he ran, the State Patrol said. He jumped over the jersey barrier, went through the median and over a second jersey barrier into the northbound lanes of I-5, troopers reported.

Investigators believe Hallberg was hit by a car that didn’t stop. A second vehicle, a 1999 Honda Civic, also hit Hallberg. The Civic’s driver remained at the scene.

Hallberg died at the scene.

Investigators were looking for the first car and its driver. The vehicle was described as a dark green sedan that might have front-end damage, troopers reported.

Anyone with information about the crash or the hit-and-run driver was asked to call State Patrol detectives at 253-536-4378.

Stacey Mulick, The News Tribune