Court records say Ryan J. McGuinness of Vancouver had been drinking when he used his 1992 Subaru Legacy to mimic a skateboarding maneuver just before a fatal rollover crash Saturday.
The crash, on the Southeast Mill Plain Boulevard exit from northbound Interstate 205, killed London D. Stoll. The 18-year-old Vancouver man was riding in the back seat with three friends.
McGuinness, 21, appeared in Clark County Superior Court on Monday on suspicion of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors say he failed a field sobriety test administered after the crash.
McGuinness and Stoll were part of a group of six friends who had seen the premiere of a theatrical performance about skateboarding earlier that night, said Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn.
Afterward, they went to a bar in Portland to have some drinks and shoot pool, Finn said.
Police said McGuinness was driving north on I-205 at about 3 a.m. when he took the Mill Plain exit at freeway speed. McGuinness’ passengers asked him to “slap the rail,” which is a skateboarding term for bouncing the wheels off a curb, Trooper Richard Thompson wrote in a court affidavit.
But when McGuinness began steering from side to side, he lost control, Thompson wrote. The Subaru veered off the roadway to the right, and landed on its top.
Stoll was pronounced dead at the scene.
Also inside the vehicle were four other passengers: Trevor D. Ward, 22; Blake T. Rounds, 18; Garrett R. Kavanaugh, 18; and Marcus J. Allen, 21, all of Vancouver.
McGuinness, Rounds and Allen were taken to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center in Vancouver, where they were treated for minor injuries and released, Finn said. Kavanaugh was not reported injured.
Ward left the crash scene for an unknown reason, Finn said. He was contacted later in the morning by detectives, who took his statement. Ward does not face any charges, Finn said.
Of the six people in the vehicle, only McGuinness and Ward, both seated in front, were wearing seat belts, according to detectives.
Two of the four people in the back seat, including Stoll, were ejected from the vehicle, Finn said.
On Monday, Judge Scott Collier held McGuinness in lieu of $30,000 bail. He is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 29.
McGuinness appeared with attorney Jon McMullen, a family friend who has represented other vehicular homicide defendants in Clark County.
McMullen said McGuinness and his friends were just a bunch of young people enjoying their night out, as do hundreds of thousands of others.
“Unfortunately, in this case, a tragic accident did happen,” he said.
Deputy Prosecutor Julie Carmena said McGuinness has a third-degree malicious mischief conviction and two speeding tickets on his record.
In April, he was cited for driving 27 miles over the speed limit on West Mill Plain Boulevard and Northeast 155th Avenue, according to District Court records.
McGuinness and Stoll were both skateboarding enthusiasts.
Stoll was born in Gresham, Ore., and attended Union High School. He was living in Vancouver at the time of his death, according to his Facebook page.
McMullen said McGuinness is a lifelong resident of Clark County. He graduated from Evergreen High School. He and his fiancee are expecting a child, McMullen said.
