SEATTLE — A 30-year-old man pleaded guilty Thursday to killing one Black Lives Matter protester and injuring another when he drove a car through a group of demonstrators on a Seattle freeway over three years ago.
Dawit Kelete pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide in the death of Summer Taylor, vehicular assault with aggravating substantial injuries to a second victim, Diaz Love, and reckless driving. Defense and prosecuting attorneys agreed to recommend a sentence of over six years in prison, followed by a year and a half of probation, and is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 8.
Court documents say Kelete was traveling at “freeway speeds” July 4, 2020, when he swerved around a barricade of demonstrators’ vehicles and into a group of protesters on a closed Interstate 5 — striking Taylor, who later died, and critically injuring Love.
Police arrested him shortly thereafter. Court documents allege he told officers he was withdrawing from Percocet, a narcotic, and struggled with an “untreated addiction.”
Prosecutors and Kelete’s defense agreed to a recommendation of 41 months for the vehicular homicide charge and 34 months — to run consecutively — for the vehicular assault charge. The recommendation reflects the top of Washington’s sentencing range for the former charge and what would be an exceptional sentence for the latter, due to the extent of Love’s injuries.
Kelete also faces three additional months for reckless driving. He had initially pleaded not guilty to each of the charges.
Francisco Duarte, Kelete’s attorney, said his client asked about the victims from the onset and has shown deep remorse. Duarte also said it’s unfair Kelete alone has faced repercussions for the incident, and claimed authorities were negligent and failed to protect the public and protesters.
“Local and state authorities must take responsibility,” Duarte said.
Love — who suffered a traumatic brain injury, multiple fractures, lacerations, displacements and other physical wounds — filed a lawsuit last year against the state, city and Kelete. The trial date is set for Feb. 12, 2024.
The lawsuit alleges Kelete was driving negligently and that state and city agencies failed to block all access ramps to I-5 and refused to protect vulnerable protesters. The State Patrol had closed the freeway during the demonstration, which was part of a run of nightly protests over the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police.
Family described Taylor, 24, as someone with boundless dedication to justice and love for animals. Taylor had been demonstrating and rallying in support of Black Lives Matter nearly every day since the protests began.
Kelete’s attorney requested a competency evaluation for Kelete last year; he was on a waitlist as of at least November.
