Man arrested after causing oil-train derailment on the Tacoma Tideflats, police say
A 65-year-old man was arrested Tuesday in Tacoma after police said he tampered with railroad equipment, causing several train cars carrying oil to derail in the Tideflats industrial area.
Tacoma Police Department said there wasn’t an oil spill as a result of the derailment. The incident was reported at about 7:55 a.m. near the 1800 block of Milwaukee Way. It’s unclear exactly how many train cars derailed. No injuries were reported.
The man was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of malicious injury to railroad property, a felony. Police spokesperson Wendy Haddow said the Department of Homeland Security would take over the investigation.
Police said the man intentionally tampered with equipment and that they were continuing to investigate. It’s unclear how the man was able to access railroad equipment.
Last year, freight trains derailed near the Port of Tacoma at least twice near the same intersection at Port of Tacoma Road and Lincoln Avenue, about half-a-mile from Tuesday’s incident. The derailments have sometimes knocked down power lines and typically disrupt traffic.
This story was originally published May 9, 2023 at 12:21 PM.
