Tacoma police impound vehicle that may have fatally struck WSP trooper
The second vehicle that may have fatally struck a Washington State Patrol trooper in Tacoma Friday night before driving off was impounded, according to police.
Officers were dispatched to the on-ramp on state Route 509 near Port of Tacoma Road after one vehicle struck a trooper who was investigating an unrelated crash. The impact caused the trooper to be thrown into the right lane and become incapacitated, according to Tacoma police.
While on the ground, a dark-colored pickup truck struck her and continued driving without stopping. Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting, 29, died on duty, according to Washington State Patrol.
The driver of the first vehicle remained at the scene and was not arrested, Chris Loftis, WSP’s director of public affairs, previously said.
Tacoma police previously said the second vehicle was a four-door Chevrolet Avalanche or a four-door Cadillac Escalade EXT-style pickup with tinted windows, chrome door handles and chrome running boards..
Investigators found and impounded the vehicle, according to a TPD news release Tuesday. Detectives are seeking information from anyone who may have been in the area at the time of the crash.
The incident is still under investigation, the release said.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or may have dash-camera footage from southbound SR-509 near Port of Tacoma Road between about 7:20p.m. and 7:30 p.m. is asked to contact Crime Stoppers. Tips can be directed to the Tacoma Police Department through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS, according to the release.
On-site memorial honoring Guting and her service
Guting was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. She enlisted in the Army National Guard in 2014 and went on to have an eight-year military career after graduating from high school, according to the WSP in a previous news release.
She joined the State Patrol in January 2024 and served in WSP’s District One in Tacoma with badge number 720, the release said. Guting married her husband, Timothy, in 2019.
Guting is the 34th member of the Washington State Patrol to die in the line of duty, according to WSP. Several law enforcement agencies in the area posted tributes following Guting’s death, including the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office and TPD. Gov. Bob Ferguson and WA State Attorney General Nick Brown also shared condolences, while acknowledging Guting’s service.
“This tragedy serves as a somber reminder to pay attention, slow down and try to move over when emergency responders are doing their job. These dedicated professionals risk everything to keep us safe. Let’s do our part to ensure they get home to their families,” Brown wrote on X Monday.
Guting was standing outside of her patrol vehicle when she was struck. Her vehicle now stands as a growing on-site memorial for Guting outside WSP’s District One building in Pierce County.
