A 50-year-old Spokane man is suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol when he ran a red light and collided with another car in Fircrest on Monday, killing the driver.
Anthony Lamar Allen has been charged with vehicular homicide in the wreck. Pierce County Superior Court records show a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf Tuesday afternoon. Allen remains in custody at the county jail on $750,000 bail.
An attorney for Allen was not listed in the court filings Wednesday. He was in community custody under the supervision of the Spokane Gang Unit through the Department of Corrections at the time of the incident, according to a pretrial services report. The report listed 20 previous criminal convictions for Allen between 1992 and 2007.
Charging documents allege that Allen was driving north on Alameda Avenue in a gray Dodge Charger with one passenger when he ran a light on Emerson Street and struck a black Honda Civic, which then crashed into a pole.
A witness told police the Charger was traveling at an “extremely high speed” before the collision.
Officers from the Fircrest Police Department responded around 6:18 p.m., according to court documents. Tacoma Fire Department personnel were already tending to a man lying on the ground when officers arrived.
The driver of the Honda was pronounced dead at the scene. The victim has not yet been publicly identified.
Allen initially said the woman with him had been driving, but Fircrest officers noted that the driver’s seat had been adjusted to accommodate a larger person like Allen, according to court documents, and that he was the registered owner of the vehicle.
Officers reported Allen told them he looked up and saw the light had turned red. He allegedly said he had tried to light a cigarette while going through the light, but officers reported he continued to insist the woman had been driving.
The woman allegedly told officers that she and Allen had driven from the Spokane area to visit Allen’s family. She reportedly said she had been sleeping in the backseat before the collision and said the light was yellow when they went through.
Officers reported that while asking the woman if she had been drinking, Allen allegedly said he had been drinking. According to charging papers, the woman later told police she thought Allen was drinking because she smelled alcohol on him. Officers also found a broken beer bottle next to the car.
Allen’s blood was drawn for toxicology testing.
