Teen charged with vehicular assault Tuesday following multi-vehicle car wreck in Tumwater
An 18-year-old man accused of causing a multi-vehicle collision in Tumwater last week is being held in the Thurston County jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.
Adfin Jacob Elias attended his preliminary appearance in Thurston County Superior Court on Monday.
Judge Mary Sue Wilson set the bail amount after finding probable cause for vehicular assault, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, hit-and-run injury, driving under the influence and hit-and-run attended vehicle. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Elias with those same crimes the on Tuesday.
The charges stem from a series of events that occurred last Friday and resulted in a serious injury collision on the intersection of Capital and Tumwater boulevards.
Tumwater police initially sought Elias in the area of New Market Street at Tumwater Boulevard, The Olympian previously reported.
At the time, there was a felony warrant for his arrest out of Green Hill School for failing to follow the conditions of his parole, according to court records.
Elias also has an open 2025 case in Tukwila Municipal Court where he’s accused of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
An officer found Elias asleep in a vehicle and attempted to arrest him, but he allegedly refused to exit his vehicle and ultimately sped away from police.
Elias later struck two vehicles at Capital and Tumwater boulevards. One of the vehicles reportedly veered into a building at the southeast corner of the intersection. The driver of that vehicle was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition.
Two occupants in the second car suffered minor injuries, according to court records.
In setting the bail amount, Wilson determined the court could not be reasonably assured Elias would return to court, there was a substantial danger he may commit a violent crime and he may interfere in the administration of justice.
Wilson also barred Elias from leaving the state, violating the law, possessing dangerous weapons, driving without a valid license or insurance, driving without an ignition interlock and contacting any known illegal drug users, dealers or manufacturers.
Additionally, Wilson forbade him from possessing or consuming alcohol or any controlled substances without a lawful prescription.
Lastly, she ordered Elias have no contact with the occupants of the two vehicles he struck in Tumwater.
The investigation
A probable cause statement describes the investigation into Elias and the collision from the perspective of law enforcement.
A Tumwater police officer found Elias asleep inside a car that was parked near the intersection of New Market Street Southwest and Tumwater Boulevard at around 8 a.m. Friday, July 18.
The officer found him there because he wore a location-tracking ankle monitor as part of his juvenile probation.
The officer placed a spike strip behind the vehicle before he spoke to Elias. When the officer woke him, he told Elias there was a warrant for his arrest and instructed him to exit the vehicle.
Elias allegedly began to argue and grew agitated. He then put the vehicle into gear and drove away at “high speed” despite his tires being spiked, according to the statement.
The officer ran to his patrol car and followed Elias onto Tumwater Boulevard. The officer saw him approach Capital Boulevard at an “extreme rate of speed” and strike another vehicle with “enough force to spin both vehicles.”
The vehicle Elias drove came to rest against a curb on the westbound side of the road. The officer then saw Elias get out of the vehicle and flee on foot.
The officer exited his patrol vehicle and caught up to Elias. He instructed Elias to stop running and lie on ground on his stomach. Elias was reportedly still agitated but complied with the orders, allowing the officer to place him into handcuffs.
Elias was uninjured in the collision. Officers later contacted witnesses as well as the occupants of the other vehicles that were involved in the collision.
One of the vehicles was a blue Toyota RAV4. The other was a red Mazda CX5. There were two occupants in the Toyota and both stated they had minor injuries.
The driver of the Mazda appeared to be breathing but was unresponsive.
A sergeant broke out the passenger door window to gain access to driver but she was entrapped within the vehicle and could not be removed until advance life support medical assistance arrived.
The driver of the Mazda was eventually airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle in critical condition. Given the severity of the collision, the officer established probable cause for vehicular assault.
A Washington State Patrol trooper who’s a certified drug recognition expert responded to the scene. The trooper asked Elias to perform a voluntary field sobriety test but he declined.
Elias allegedly admitted to the trooper that he took fentanyl and methamphetamine the previous night. The trooper shined a small flashlight in Elias’ face and noted his pupils did not react or dilate.
The trooper informed the officer that this was a common sign of fentanyl use. With the troopers recommendation, the officer established probable cause for driving under the influence and applied for a warrant to draw Elias’ blood.
After obtaining the warrant, the officer took Elias to MultiCare Capital Medical Center for the blood draw and later booked him into the county jail.
The officer later returned to the scene of the collision and spoke with a Thurston County deputy that was investigating the collision.
The deputy informed the officer that the vehicle Elias drove was a GMC Denali that was reported stolen during a carjacking in Tukwila on July 10.
The statement indicates it’s unclear if Elias is the suspect in the carjacking.
