August 2nd 2023.
Dawit Kelete, a 29-year-old Seattle man, recently changed his plea from innocent to guilty in the death of Summer Taylor in 2020, as reported by NBC News. He is charged with vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, and reckless driving.
The incident occurred during a Black Lives Matter protest on Interstate 5, where Kelete allegedly drove the wrong way up an on-ramp to avoid a road closure and consequently struck two people. According to the police report, Kelete told officers he was suffering from opioid withdrawal due to an addiction to Percocet. His attorney, Francisco Duarte, claims Kelete has been remorseful throughout the process and has asked about the victims regularly. Additionally, Duarte alleges that the state was negligent in setting up the barricades and did not do enough to protect the public or the protesters.
In exchange for the guilty plea, Kelete will be recommended to serve six years, six months in prison, and 18 months of probation after his release. Karen Koehler, an attorney representing Taylor’s family, expressed her frustrations with the slow process of the trial and sentencing, stating that Taylor's family is bereaved and resigned.
A separate lawsuit has been filed by Diaz Love, the other person Kelete struck, against Kelete, the city of Seattle, and the State of Washington for negligence. This trial has been set for February 2024. Kelete will be sentenced on Sept. 8 in the King County Courthouse. His lawyer, Duarte, seems to agree with the case that Love’s representation is building against the other parties. He said, “Local and state authorities were negligent in protecting the public and BLM protesters. Local and state authorities need to acknowledge their negligence and role in these tragic events.”
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