Man deliberately run over at Spanaway drive-thru likely targeted by mistake, deputies say
A driver who fatally ran over a stranger in a Spanaway drive-thru said “he didn’t mean to do it,” but investigators believe it was a case of mistaken identity, according to court documents.
Pierce County prosecutors on Wednesday charged Christian Dressel, 22, with first-degree murder, second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence. He was scheduled to be arraigned Wednesday afternoon.
Sheriff’s detectives say Dressel deliberately ran over 68-year-old James David Brown Saturday evening at a restaurant drive-thru in the 20500 block of Mountain Highway East. Brown got out of his vehicle after Dressel struck the back of the vehicle he was riding in.
Charging papers give this account of the homicide:
Brown and his wife went to the drive-thru for dinner about 6:30 p.m. They placed an order and waited their turn in line. Brown’s wife was driving.
Within a minute, Dressler pulled behind them in a Chrysler Pacifica. He did not stop to order food and instead struck the Browns’ car three times before pulling forward against their bumper, according to surveillance footage.
The victim’s wife heard Dressler yell something about her “boyfriend” but could not make out what he said. She turned to ask Brown to stay in the vehicle, but he had already gotten out to speak with Dressler about the collision.
She got out of the car after hearing a bunch of people yell and watched her husband get run over.
Dressler deliberately ran over Brown two to three times, according to witness statements and surveillance footage. He then sped off.
Brown was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators said it appears to be a case of mistaken identity and theorized that Dressler saw a vehicle similar to Brown’s near his girlfriend’s house and went to confront the man.
Two days after Brown’s death, Dressler’s mother called 911 to turn in her son. She allegedly told deputies Dressler would not be cooperative during the arrest, he kept a handgun in his vehicle and that he has a history of being “mentally unstable,” records say.
Dressler was taken into custody Tuesday.
He initially told detectives that he didn’t mean to hit Brown and that he unknowingly backed over him because Brown’s wife asked him to back up in the drive-thru. Investigators do not believe that account.
“The interview lasted approximately three hours, and during that time the defendant repeatedly changed his statement as to what occurred both before and after he hit the victim,” prosecutors wrote in charging papers.
The Chrysler that Dresser used to drive over Brown was recovered at a local tow yard where Dressler sold it immediately after the incident. It had already been taken apart by the tow company.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 1:16 PM.
