Man charged in fatal crash at busy Tacoma interchange was arrested for DUI last month
A man suspected of driving while intoxicated Wednesday in Tacoma and crashing his car at a downtown interchange, killing a 20-year-old passenger, was charged with vehicular homicide.
Johiadia Joshua Elijah Sealey, 26, was charged Thursday in Pierce County Superior Court. He was expected to be arraigned Friday afternoon.
The defendant was driving a Chevy Malibu with two other people inside Wednesday afternoon going south on state Route 509 approaching the interchange to Interstate 705 when he entered the on-ramp, left the roadway and hit a barrier, according to the Washington State Patrol. Troopers said a female passenger was the only one wearing a seat belt. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The WSP identified her as Jalisa J. Paden of Tacoma.
Sealey was arrested for DUI last month, The Daily World of Aberdeen reported. According to the newspaper, Sealey drove a 30-foot cargo truck off U.S. 12 near Elma on Jan. 12, rolling the vehicle. It’s unclear when he was released from custody or what limitations he might have had on his driver’s license.
Charging documents in the Tacoma crash allege that when troopers contacted the driver, Sealey failed a portion of a field sobriety test and had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes and the odor of intoxicants on his breath. He allegedly told troopers he was driving and he tried to turn, but he was going too fast.
One witness reported that Sealey was driving erratically and passing other vehicles shortly before the wreck, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause. Another told troopers the car had been traveling at a high speed.
Troopers found the victim covered in a blanket on the ground about 15 feet away from the car. Records state a third person fled. Located and interviewed later, he allegedly confirmed Sealey had been driving. The man, 20, was advised to seek medical attention. Prosecutors wrote in the probable cause document that an additional charge of vehicular assault could be added if his injuries rise to the level of “substantial bodily harm.”
Sealey was transported to Tacoma General Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. His blood was drawn for toxicology testing and results are pending.
