Driver who killed Washington State Patrol trooper in crash is in US illegally, ICE says – Law Officer

MARYSVILLE, Wash. – A driver who killed Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher M. Gadd, 27, has been identified as a Mexican national who was in the U.S. illegally and has been arrested, according to authorities.

Raul Benitez Santana, 33, was taken into custody for the traffic fatality and is being held on $1 million bail following the collision that killed Trooper Gadd as he was conducting a DUI enforcement patrol on Interstate 5 around 3 a.m. Saturday.

An investigation into the crash revealed an SUV being driven by Santana was heading southbound on the interstate when the vehicle veered onto the shoulder and struck the trooper’s patrol cruiser.

According to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed when it collided into the police unit.

On Tuesday, FOX 13 Seattle obtained court documents indicating Santana had bloodshot eyes and told law enforcement authorities he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana prior to driving his vehicle.

Santana was booked into the Snohomish County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Seattle Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division placed an immigration detainer on the Mexican citizen.

“As one of the operational directorates associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ERO Seattle lodges immigration detainers against noncitizens who have been arrested for criminal activity and taken into custody by state or local law enforcement,” a spokesperson for ICE told Fox News Digital. “An immigration detainer is a request from ICE to state or local law enforcement agencies to notify ICE as early as possible before a removable noncitizen is released, allowing ERO to assume custody for possible removal to the subject’s home country in accordance with federal law.”

According to FOX 13, Santana has been arrested in the Lynnwood area several times since 2013. His offenses have included traffic violations, drug possession, and domestic violence.

Trooper Gadd had served with the Washington State Patrol for 2-1/2 years. He is survived by his wife, 2-year-old daughter, parents, and sister. His father also served with the Washington State Patrol and his sister serves with the Texas Department of Public Safety.

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