Washington State Patrol trooper killed Friday evening in Tacoma, agency says
A Washington State Patrol trooper was killed Friday evening while responding to a collision in Tacoma, according to a statement from the agency.
Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, died on duty.
“Trooper Guting was standing outside of her patrol car investigating a two-vehicle collision when she was struck just before 7:30 p.m. on southbound State Route 509 near milepost 2, south of the Port of Tacoma,” the statement read. “Individuals on scene rendered aid, but the trooper ultimately succumbed to her injuries.”
Traffic on local law enforcement scanners begin buzzing at 7:28 p.m. Friday with an “officer down” alert, and calls for assistance.
The driver of the vehicle that hit Guting remained at the scene and was not arrested, said Chris Loftis, WSP’s director of public affairs.
Following the incident, both directions of 509 were closed for hours between Interstate 705 and Port of Tacoma Road.
“The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks, and with this loss, now tears flood our souls,” said State Patrol Chief John Batiste. “My heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team.”
Born in Hawaii, Guting joined the State Patrol in 2024. She was assigned to District 1, the Tacoma area. Prior to joining the agency, she served in the Army National Guard. She married her husband Timothy in 2019 at the state Fire Training Academy.
The Tacoma Police Department is taking over the criminal investigation of the incident, the WSP news release stated. No arrests had been made as of Saturday afternoon, said police spokesperson Shelbie Boyd.
This story was originally published December 20, 2025 at 6:45 AM.
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