A man suspected of driving while under the influence died early Saturday morning when he crashed his car while fleeing from Kent police on Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. near Renton, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The Sheriff’s Office reported that  just before 4 a.m. Kent Police asked for assistance stopping a suspected DUI driver they were pursuing southbound on I-5 after he failed to stop, according to Sgt. Cindi West, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff’s deputies joined in the pursuit and chased the suspect southbound on Martin Luther King Way.  At one point in the pursuit, the suspect rammed a deputy’s car and then continued fleeing on Martin Luther King Way, also called State Route 900, according  to West.

During the pursuit the suspect lost control at a turn in the road where Martin Luther King becomes Sunset Road. The suspect vehicle went over a barrier and hit a tree, according to West. The suspect died at the scene.

A King County Sheriff’s deputy was transported to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries as a result of being rammed by the suspect vehicle. The deputy has since been released from the hospital and is in good condition.

The deceased driver has not yet been identified. The Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Response and Reconstruction Unit  is investigating the accident.

Assisting were King County Fire District 20 (Skyway Fire) and a ladder truck from the Renton fire department, as well as county medics.

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