Chase Jones, then 17, tells officers he was speeding at the time of a May 2023 crash in Kent, video shows.
KENT, Wash. — New footage shows an 18-year-old suspect accused of killing four people while speeding in Renton was involved in another crash in May 2023. In police body camera footage, driver Chase Jones is heard saying “I was definitely going above the speed limit,” minutes after crashing into another driver.
The May 2023 crash occurred in Kent. Around 10:43 p.m. near Southeast 204th Street and 102 Place Southeast, a driver in a red Mercedes was attempting to make a left turn at an uncontrolled intersection, according to the police report from May 8, 2023.
At the time, Jones was 17 years old and told officers he was leaving a nearby gym. He reportedly told officers that “it was an open road.” When he saw the Mercedes attempting to turn, Jones said he tried to swerve to avoid, but couldn’t and ended up colliding with the car, police documents state.
The driver of the Mercedes said he was at a full stop and when he went to turn, “there was just a pair of lights and they were going so fast,” the driver said.
Jones’ Tahoe SUV crashed into a fence and police documented that the crash caused “extensive damage” to the red Mercedes. At the scene, the Mercedes driver is visibly shaken; Jones’ parents were already on scene when officers arrived.
“I was definitely going above the speed limit, 25,” Jones tells a police officer in the camera footage, estimating he was driving between 40 to 50 mph in a 25 mph zone.
Jones was never charged in the Kent collision and was given a warning by officers.
“Lesson to be learned, as long as you learn it,” an officer tells Jones.
In January this year, Jones was involved in another crash in Kent, according to court documents. Jones’ speed was also reportedly a contributing factor to the crash, documents show.
On March 19, the deadly crash happened on 140th Avenue Southeast in Renton. Four people were killed, three were seriously injured and an eighth person suffered minor injuries.
Jones is charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault and reckless driving. Jones was released from the hospital and booked into jail, and his bail is set at $1 million. His arraignment is scheduled for April 4.
Andrea Hudson, 38, was carpooling five kids — two of whom were her own children — when Jones allegedly ran a red light. Charging documents claim Jones was driving 112 mph when he hit the minivan “at full throttle without braking.”
Those killed have been identified as Eloise and Matilda “Tilly” Wilcoxson, 12 and 13, Buster Brown, 12, and Hudson, 38. Based on the initial investigation, the King County Sheriff’s Office said speed seems to have played a factor in the collision.
The documents said investigators found this was Jones’ third vehicle he has totaled in a crash involving high speeds in 11 months, which includes the May 2023 crash in Kent.
