Man involved in fatal collision arrested after release from hospital
A man involved in a car crash that killed one person and injured another in early April was arrested on suspicion of vehicular homicide and vehicular assault, among other charges, on Tuesday morning.
Police believe Daniel S. El-Ayache, 34, was driving a stolen 2015 Subaru Crosstrek over 100 mph in a 35 mph zone while traveling west on Broadway Avenue on the evening of April 4.
According to court documents, police were monitoring the vehicle with a GPS tracker because they suspected it was stolen. The tracker showed the Subaru’s speed dropped abruptly from 94 mph to 0 mph at the junction of Broadway Avenue and Alki Way at about 8:20 p.m.
The driver of the Subaru, who police believe was El-Ayache, lost control of the vehicle near the curve where Broadway turns into Alki and collided with a yellow pickup truck. The pickup truck was “enmeshed” into the Subaru’s passenger side.
Police located a man dead in the passenger seat of the Subaru. A woman was also partially thrown out of the Subaru’s rear window and sustained life-threatening injuries. Her condition was unknown on Tuesday.
Police found El-Ayache in the rear right passenger seat. Police determined El-Ayache was driving the vehicle.
Police also discovered drug paraphernalia inside the vehicle, including multiple tin foils, burnt residue and a torch lighter, court documents said.
The driver of the truck also sustained injuries, but they were not life-threatening, police said at the time.
One of El-Ayache’s family members told police he had checked himself out of the hospital and was at his home on the 1000 block of North Hogan Street on May 8. He was booked into the Spokane County Jail Tuesday.
El-Ayache was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, second-degree theft and possession of a stolen vehicle, in addition to vehicular homicide and vehicular assault . His bond is set at $500,000.