Vancouver man arrested for vehicular homicide after crash

Early Sunday, a Vancouver Police Department officer attempted to pull over a suspected impaired driver, who was driving westbound on East 18th Street. The vehicle, a 2008 Nissan Pathfinder, failed to yield for several blocks before accelerating away from the officer, according to a police press release.

The officer did not continue the attempt to stop the vehicle and continued at normal speeds. The Nissan continued at a high rate of speed when the officer observed the vehicle approaching East 18th Street and Brandt Road, according to the release.

A second vehicle, a 2003 Honda Accord, entered the intersection driving southbound ahead of the Nissan. The Nissan appeared to fail to stop at the stop sign before entering the intersection, according to the release. The Nissan crashed into the driver’s side of the Honda.

The officer reached the collision and saw the driver of the Pathfinder, identified as Neios Soien, 39, of Vancouver, exiting the driver’s seat of the vehicle and attempting to flee on foot, the release states.  The suspect was caught and detained by Vancouver Police Department officers.

Vancouver police officers said the driver of the Honda Accord, Darrell G. Shoote, 58, of Vancouver, was deceased when they arrived.

Soien was transported to the hospital due to the severity of the crash. Officers determined that Soien showed signs of impairment.

In Washington, if a person is killed in crash which was caused by another person driving under the influence it becomes a vehicular homicide.

Soien was released from the hospital and booked into the Clark County Jail on charges of vehicular homicide, hit and run – death, DUI, driving while license suspended and driving without an ignition interlock device.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office Traffic Homicide Unit is leading the investigation.