Two soldiers intervened to stop a woman who allegedly stabbed a child and threatened two girls after crashing her SUV into a semi-truck on Interstate 5 near DuPont, Washington. The incident occurred on Monday morning.
The 35-year-old woman from Steilacoom was driving erratically before her SUV struck the left-side barrier, swerved across lanes, and collided with a semi-truck, according to preliminary investigations by the Washington State Patrol. The SUV then hit the barrier again and rolled over. The driver of the semi-truck was not injured.
Following the crash, the woman allegedly threatened two girls with a knife. A 9-year-old girl sustained multiple broken bones and a stab wound, while a 15-year-old girl was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries. Witnesses reported seeing two soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord tackle the woman and disarm her, with one soldier seen holding a knife they had removed from her.
Bystanders, including one witness who was driving to work, called 911 as the situation unfolded. The soldiers' actions were captured in photos from the scene.
The woman was initially taken to a hospital for evaluation. Authorities are investigating her for driving under the influence, vehicular assault, and first-degree assault. As of Tuesday morning, she had been booked into the Pierce County Jail and was expected to face charges including two counts of assault, vehicular assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment, though the formal filing of charges was not immediately confirmed.
The relationship between the woman and the girls was not immediately specified. The identities of the soldiers involved have not been released.