Driver charged with three felonies for hitting protesters
Dawit Kelete, 27, the man who hit two Black Lives Matter protesters with his Jaguar XJL car while driving on the Seattle freeway has been charged with three felonies.
Kelete was on Wednesday July 8, 2020, charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault and reckless driving by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s office, and he is still being held in custody with $1.2 million bail set on him.
According to Washington State Patrol, at about 1:40 a.m. Saturday, Kelete hit the two protesters as he drove around vehicles parked on Interstate 5 shielding protesters.
Summer Taylor, 24, a veterinary clinic worker, died late Saturday night after suffering serious injuries. A 32-year-old Diaz Love, from Portland, Oregon, suffered critical leg and arm fractures and internal injuries and is still hospitalized due to her serious condition.
In a statement John Henry Browne, Kelete lawyer, said the accident was horrible and that Kelete hitting them was not intentional.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Brown said, “There’s absolutely nothing political about this case whatsoever. My client is in tears. He’s very remorseful. He feels tremendous guilt.”
According to Brown, Kelete is from Eritrea, in northeastern Africa and is a US citizen. He is from a religious family that lives in Seattle.
A security camera showed Kelete driving carelessly at a high speed past several warning signs on the Stewart Street I-5 exit ramp.
He was driving at a bottleneck speed when he noticed protesters who scattered amidst screams as they saw the car approaching. The car swerved slightly as it moves toward the people. It slid sideways and hit the protesters.
A protester followed Kelete in a car and was a able to stop him as he drove right in front of Kelete’s vehicle and blocked him until troopers arrived.
“The defendant stopped several hundred yards from the scene.
“He was approached by witnesses who yelled at him to exit the vehicle. After the witness began hitting and pushing his vehicle, the defendant drove away at a high speed.” the prosecutor said.
Ketele took a field sobriety test for drugs and alcohol and the result showed that he was not impaired.
Trooper James McGuire said, “The driver was reserved and appeared sullen throughout his time in custody.”
Following the killing of George Floyd Seattle has witnessed prolong protests which has resulted in several cases of unrest in the city.
