Photo: gabrieletamborrelli / E+ / Getty Images
Two U.S. soldiers intervened on a Washington state freeway after a 35-year-old woman allegedly stabbed her two children following a serious crash near DuPont on Monday (October 5), according to the Washington State Patrol. The incident began when the woman’s Volkswagen Tiguan, traveling southbound on Interstate 5, struck a barrier, rolled across the highway, hit a semi-truck, and rolled again before coming to a stop.
Immediately after the crash, witnesses saw the woman exit the vehicle and allegedly attack her nine- and fifteen-year-old children with a knife. According to the Washington State Patrol, two soldiers from nearby Joint Base Lewis-McChord sprang into action, tackling the woman and taking away her weapon.
Eyewitness Nathan Wilkinson told KING 5 News, "There’s people standing around, then all of a sudden there was a flash, and then the two soldiers jumped on a person. I heard a scream at that time. I saw one of the soldiers had a knife in his hand that he had dislodged from the person they tackled." Wilkinson added, "They didn’t run away, they didn’t pass, drive on by. They stopped and helped."
The younger child suffered broken bones and stab wounds and was hospitalized. The condition of the older child was not immediately known. The woman, a Steilacoom resident, was treated at a hospital and later booked into the Pierce County Jail. She is expected to face multiple charges, including two counts of assault, vehicular assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment.
Authorities have not released the names of the soldiers or the children involved. Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash and the assault. More details are expected as the case proceeds through the legal system.