Man arrested after Christmas morning car crash in Medical Lake

An 18-year-old man is accused of vehicular assault stemming from a Christmas morning collision in Medical Lake that hospitalized another man with potentially life-threatening injuries.

Luke M. Ruggiero was booked into the Spokane County Jail on Monday.

Sometime prior to 4 a.m. Monday, Spokane County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a two-vehicle crash at Stanley Street and Ladd Street in Medical Lake, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. The sheriff’s office alleges the unnamed driver of a Ford sedan was traveling north on Stanley Street when Ruggiero, driving a Ford F250, ran a stop sign while traveling east on Ladd Street, causing the collision, according to the news release.

The driver of the Ford sedan was hospitalized with serious and possibly life-threatening injuries, though they are currently in stable condition, according to the release.

Law enforcement officials believe that Ruggiero was speeding at the time of the accident. The news release said he admitted to consuming alcohol before the crash and a preliminary breath test found his blood-alcohol level was .107, above the legal limit for someone over the age of 21. The legal limit for a driver under the age of 21 in Washington is .02.

Ruggiero was previously arrested for driving under the influence in 2022, according to the release.