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A driver drove through a barrier off the end of the Edmonds ferry dock and splashed into Puget Sound late Tuesday shortly after 11:30 p.m. during a chase with Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office deputies.
There were five people inside the black 2012 Mini Cooper (an earlier report from the Washington State Patrol listed six), which landed upside-down, submerged in 40 feet of water.
The car's driver was confirmed as 29-year-old William G. Leonard of Tulalip. He survived, as did a 30-year-old passenger from Auburn and a 38-year-old passenger from Federal Way. They were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle; one has since been released.
The Washington State Patrol said drugs or alcohol were involved.
The WSP identified the dead as Melanie E. Ross, 48, of Auburn, and Portsha C. Sapp, 45, of Lakewood.
The car was towed out of the water at about 3:30 a.m. Wednesday. Ferry service remained in operation Wednesday morning.
According to SCSO spokesperson Renee Cooper, a deputy spotted the vehicle driving recklessly in the 12100 block of southbound I-5. The car was driving over 100 mph and weaving in and out of traffic.
The deputy attempted to stop the car, but the driver continued driving recklessly at about 120 mph. The deputy began pursuing the vehicle. The suspect took the 196th Street SW exit, and the pursuit continued to Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds, where the deputy lost sight of the vehicle.
As the deputy continued searching the area to locate the vehicle, he saw that the crossing arms at the ferry terminal were destroyed, and he heard people yelling from the water.
"Our dive team responded to search for additional occupants," Cooper said. "Two decedents were recovered by the dive team."
Meanwhile, before the Sheriff’s Office pursued the Mini Cooper, a trooper attempted to stop the vehicle southbound at milepost 189 at about 11:10 p.m., said WSP spokesperson Kelsey Harding. The vehicle failed to stop, and a pursuit began, but was terminated about a minute later.
Harding said the reason for the stop was that the Mini Cooper was going 79 mph in a posted 60 mph zone. At 11:26 p.m., the State Patrol received a request for assistance for the fully submerged car.
WSP is handling the investigation.
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