A 24-year-old man who allegedly caused a head-on collision in Vancouver while fleeing authorities from Cowlitz County made a first appearance in Clark County Superior Court on Monday.
Brian S. Haack of Vancouver appeared on suspicion of attempting to elude police, reckless driving, second-degree driving with a suspended license and driving under the influence in connection with the Friday night incident.
Woodland police attempted to stop a full-sized Ford Econoline van for a defective brake light in Cowlitz County shortly after 8 p.m. Friday. The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Haack, allegedly fled through a gas station, nearly colliding with another vehicle, and merged onto southbound Interstate 5, according to information from a probable cause affidavit and the Washington State Patrol.
Troopers joined in the chase near Milepost 9, west of Battle Ground, but Haack failed to yield to their emergency lights and sirens, court records said. The chase continued south on I-5 until the van exited the freeway at 39th Street in Vancouver, according to the affidavit.
The pursuit ended near the intersection of St. James Road and Northeast 58th Street after the van turned north onto Northeast St. James Road — a one-way street that goes south — and crashed into a southbound Toyota Camry coupe, the WSP said in a news release.
The crash injured the Camry’s driver, Robert R. Zimmerman, 34, of Vancouver, and Kayla M. Zimmerman, 21, of Vancouver, one of two passengers in the vehicle. A second passenger in the Camry, a 5-week-old child, was uninjured. All of the occupants in the Camry were using safety restraints, the WSP said.
Robert and Kayla Zimmerman were treated at PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center and released, according to the hospital.
Haack was uninjured, but his passenger, Elizabeth D. Purkeypyle, 22, of Camas, was transported to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. She was treated and released. They were both wearing safety restraints.
When officers contacted Haack, they said they noticed signs of him being under the influence. Haack admitted to smoking some marijuana a few hours prior and to using heroin in the past 24 hours, the affidavit said.
Police said they also learned that Haack had a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest, court records show.
During the hearing, Judge Robert Lewis appointed Megan Peyton of the Vancouver Defenders to represent Haack and set his bail at $30,000.
He is scheduled to be arraigned Sept. 4.
