‘I just lost my best friend’: Man charged after police pursuit led to deadly crash
A 24-year-old man is facing charges after allegedly driving recklessly and then trying to elude state police, leading to a deadly crash in Spanaway.
Joseph Krisologo Jr. was charged Monday with vehicular homicide, attempting to elude a police vehicle and reckless driving, Pierce County Superior Court records show. A plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf during his arraignment.
Krisologo was allegedly behind the wheel of a 1992 Lexus sedan that had been traveling in and out of traffic at a high speed on southbound Pacific Avenue South on Nov. 23, according to charging papers and the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. After a Washington State Patrol trooper attempted to stop the vehicle, Krisologo tried to elude police and lost control, colliding into a 2013 Ford pickup truck, charging papers said.
A male passenger in the Lexus was killed at the scene.
“Another officer on scene heard (Krisologo) make statements such as, ‘I just lost my best friend,’” charging papers said.
The passenger, whose identity has yet to be released, was 50 years old, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Darren Moss previously told The News Tribune.
The 44-year-old driver of the Ford was taken to a local hospital with serious injuries, Moss had said.
Prosecutors said Monday that medical records were being sought for the truck’s driver, and the extent of his injuries weren’t immediately known.
The trooper appeared to be ending the pursuit moments before the crash, according to charging papers.
