A Longview man, who was fatally struck by a vehicle Friday night during a police chase on Interstate 5 near La Center, was wanted in connection with an attempted stabbing. The man was identified Saturday as 55-year-old Robert J. Flubacher.
Longview police said they had probable cause to arrest Flubacher on suspicion of attempted murder and multiple assault charges after he tried to stab a man during a fight earlier that evening.
Officers responded at about 6 p.m. to the 400 block of 17th Avenue in Longview for reports that multiple people were fighting. Callers told 911 dispatchers the people fighting were armed with weapons, including a knife and a baseball bat, according to a post on the police department’s Facebook page.
As officers arrived, a black Dodge Caliber sped off and sideswiped a Longview police car, the agency said. Police pursued the Dodge for a short distance, but the driver evaded officers.
A 25-year-old man told police the driver of the Dodge, later identified as Flubacher, attempted to stab him multiple times, according to Longview police. He didn’t know Flubacher and said the man attacked him unprovoked. Officers also spoke to multiple witnesses.
Detectives with the Longview Street Crimes Unit located the Dodge at about 8:30 p.m. driving in the 1400 block of Beech Street, the Facebook post states. The Dodge sped away from officers toward Interstate 5.
Multiple law enforcement agencies joined the chase on southbound I-5, and the Dodge reached speeds over 100 mph, according to Longview police.
Officers used their vehicles and a spike strip to force Flubacher’s car to stop on the side of southbound I-5 near Milepost 16. Flubacher exited his car and tried to cross the freeway on foot. While he was crossing the northbound lanes, a vehicle, driven by Emily L. Kiger, 43, of Kalama, struck him, according to the Washington State Patrol.
The crash, which occurred at about 9 p.m., closed the freeway in both directions for hours. The freeway didn’t fully reopen until 1 a.m.
