Auburn Cop Arrested After Fatal Seattle Vehicle-To-Pedestrian Crash

SEATTLE, WA —An off-duty Auburn police officer has been released on $200,000 bail after he allegedly was behind the wheel in a fatal vehicle-to-pedestrian collision Saturday in Seattle's Interbay neighborhood, according to King County court records.

Seattle police said they believe alcohol may have been a factor in the collision, which killed 65-year-old Clifford Jones.

Michael L. Smith, 33, was released on bail after a King County Court judge found probable cause for vehicular homicide, according to the Seattle Times.

Smith, whom police believe also was involved in a hit-and-run collision with a taxi cab minutes before the fatal crash, has been put on administrative by the Auburn Police Department pending an internal investigation, a spokesperson for the department said.

The fatal collision happened at approximately 10:48 p.m. Saturday at 15th Avenue West and West Gilman Drive, the Seattle Police Department said in its probable cause statement.

According to the statement, Smith was traveling north on 15th Avenue West at high speed —one witness estimated 90 mph — when he drove onto the sidewalk, then launched over a berm. The force of the impact caused the pedestrian to be thrown over the berm.

Police said witnesses reported the collision and that its impact had left the victim unresponsive.

Seattle police said the pedestrian died at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner's Office said the cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries.

In its probable cause statement, Seattle police said its officers encountered the suspect at the scene, and that he smelled of alcohol, slurred his speech and had bloodshot eyes.

Police said the suspect's alleged hit-and-run collision with a taxi cab earlier Saturday happened at Alaskan Way and Madison Street, about 3 1/2 miles south of the second collision site.

According to the Seattle Times, Smith was hired by the Auburn Police Department in 2021 after working for Bellevue police and the University of Washington Police Department.