Pedestrian killed outside Auburn casino identified
A 44-year-old woman who died Wednesday after being run over on a sidewalk outside an Auburn casino has been identified as Reachella Partman.
She was walking outside the Muckleshoot Casino when the driver of an SUV lost control and hit her about 11:40 p.m. Partman was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 35-year-old man behind the wheel of the SUV was seriously injured after being thrown from the vehicle.
Police said he mistakenly believed an officer was chasing him and fled because he had an outstanding warrant for manslaughter.
The man was convicted of manslaughter in 2005 and was released in 2011, according to the state Department of Corrections. He broke the terms of his release 17 times, prompting a warrant to be issued.
The SUV was on Auburn Way South and happened to be in front of the patrol car of an officer responding to a burglary. The officer turned on his car’s emergency siren, spooking the SUV driver.
Rather than move out of the way, the SUV driver sped away and lost control in the 2500 block of Auburn Way South.
Police said they were not chasing the man and the officer was confused when the SUV sped away.
After hitting Partman, the SUV flipped and landed on a parked car in the casino parking lot.
Stacia Glenn: 253-597-8653
The family of Reachella Partman has set up a GoFundMe account.
This story was originally published March 4, 2016 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Pedestrian killed outside Auburn casino identified."