WSP Arrest Two After Semi Crashes in Residential Neighborhood

Two men are in King County jail Friday morning after crashing a semi truck into a neighborhood, bringing the semi to rest alongside a yard and leaking diesel fuel into the neighborhood, reported.

About 3:30 a.m., a semi tractor trailer struck a barrier near when it hit the barrier in the east Bellevue area, exited the freeway and continued onto a neighborhood street, finally coming to a stop at Southeast 34th Street with its tires resting on the edge of a homeowner's property, said Washington State Patrol trooper Julie Startup.

The tractor trailer, which was loaded with contained engine parts on a flatbed truck, continued from the freeway to Southeast 34th Street despite losing its front tires and having a punctured gas tank, which caused diesel to spray on the roadway,  she said.

"It traveled quite a ways," she said.

Up to 100 gallons of diesel fuel might have spilled and the Department of Ecology was investigating exactly how much and cleaning up the spill, Startup said.

The two men, who were not carrying identification, were spotted running away from the tractor trailer, and were arrested by a nearby trooper, Startup said.

They are being identified in the King County Jail, Startup said. Troopers are contacting the registered owner of the semi truck to determine whether the men had the truck with permission, she said.

The driver faces charges of driving under the influence, hit and run and licensing violations, Startup said.