Police: 2 killed in Lakewood crash, third man hospitalized
LAKEWOOD, Wash. - People in Lakewood are demanding solutions after a deadly crash on Friday night, just a minute after a report of two SUVs shooting at each other.
Lakewood police said the crash happened in the area of 112th Street SW and Gravelly Lake Drive SW at about 8:30 p.m.
It's not yet clear if the incidents are related, but people we talked with said they want the chaos to stop.
They said they are frustrated looking at the damage left behind, and they're not just concerned about crime but also a number of crashes.
"I can't believe how many guns are out there, you know, I'm not against owning guns, but I mean it's like anybody could have one now," neighbor, Mark Thompson said.
It's an unsettling reality people in Lakewood said they're grappling with: what to do about crime on their streets.
"When you've got the cops like this, you know, without them. This is what happens. You know, people get hurt," Thompson said.
Thompson is concerned following the two incidents on Friday night.
First, the report of two SUVs shooting at each other and then, a minute later, calls about a deadly crash about a mile and a half away at 112th Street SW and Gravelly Lake Drive SW.
Police said two SUVs collided, two men were ejected and killed, and another man was taken to the hospital.
They found a bullet hole in one of the SUVs.
Investigators told FOX 13 News that two other vehicles were hit in the intersection, but the people inside were not hurt.
A field of debris and muddy tire tracks painted an intense scene as it appeared one of the vehicles launched up a hill and slammed into a traffic light pole, knocking down crosswalk signs.
For Sarah Waight, who works at Wake Up! Espresso nearby, it's a big concern especially so close to small businesses and Clover Park High School at a time when someone could've unknowingly been caught in the crossfire or killed.
"It's scary. You never know what's going to happen. I feel like we've had to be a lot more cautious just in general wherever we go in the area," Waight said.
She's hardly surprised there's been yet another crash because Waight said they happen in the area quite often.
"Within the last month, the speed limit sign's been knocked down, the school sign got obliterated, like, it's just been nuts," she said.
Community members said this kind of scene only reinforces there is more to be done.
"Do we put our chaps on, our cowboy boots and hats and, you know, put our guns back on just to function as a society? I don't get it," Thompson said.
People in the neighborhood came to the scene to look at the damage themselves on Saturday morning.
Those we talked with are just hopeful at some point, there's going to be a solution.
Investigators have not yet released information about the victims in the crash.
They said the medical examiner's office will determine their identities and causes of death.
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