A Washington state Democrat who had just won her primary was filmed crying and praying in the back of a police car after officers say she slammed her truck into a chain of parked vehicles early Tuesday morning.
Story Snapshot
- Tacoma police say Krista Perez crashed into four parked cars just after midnight on August 11, setting off a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles.
- Officers reported Perez smelled strongly of alcohol and appeared confused, and patrol video shows her sobbing and praying in the back seat.
- Perez declined field sobriety tests and later gave a breath sample officers say was unusable, according to court records.
- She was booked on suspicion of driving under the influence and formally charged with impaired driving two days after the crash.
- Perez had just finished first in the primary for the District 29, Position 1 state House seat before her arrest.
Crash Sends Parked Cars Flying in Tacoma
Tacoma police responded to a collision shortly after midnight in the 3700 block of South G Street. Officers found a vehicle had struck four parked, unoccupied cars. Court records reviewed by The News Tribune say Perez was driving a pickup truck that hit one parked car first, causing a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles total.
Officers on scene described Perez as appearing confused and said she gave off “a strong odor of alcohol,” according to court records. Police said Perez admitted to drinking wine before getting behind the wheel. She was later arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to reporting from The Seattle Times.
Perez declined to complete field sobriety tests at the scene. She reportedly asked officers repeatedly to let her go home instead of continuing the investigation. Court records indicate officers eventually attempted to collect a breath sample, but the result could not be used, adding another wrinkle to the case against her.
Patrol Car Video Shows Emotional Aftermath
Video released from the arrest shows Perez crying, praying and sobbing in the back of the patrol car after being taken into custody. The footage, credited to the Tacoma Police Department, quickly spread online and drew national attention to a race that had barely registered outside the district before the crash.
Perez, 40, was booked into Pierce County Corrections on suspicion of DUI, according to KIRO Newsradio. Two days later, on Thursday, prosecutors formally charged her with impaired driving connected to the crash, according to the Lynnwood Times.
Winning Her Primary, Then Facing Charges
Perez had finished ahead in the primary election for the District 29, Position 1 state House seat just one week before her arrest, positioning her as a frontrunner heading into the general election. Washington law does not require candidates to drop out because of a criminal charge, and Perez is legally presumed innocent unless convicted.
A Democratic political consultant told KUOW the arrest itself won’t remove Perez from the ballot, but it could still hurt her standing with voters heading into November. State DUI law carries steep penalties for refusing testing, including license revocation that can stretch from one to three years depending on prior history.
Washington state Democratic House candidate Krista Perez was seen crying, praying and sobbing in the back of a patrol car after her DUI arrest.
Police body camera also shows Perez admitting she'd been drinking wine and refusing field sobriety tests after officers say she crashed…
— Sarah Woodworth (@sarahwoodworthh) September 17, 2026
Cases like this tend to follow a familiar path once video surfaces. Voters see the footage before court proceedings finish, and campaigns on both sides use the moment to make their case. Past candidates from both parties, including a sitting New York congressman and a former governor, have faced similar DUI disclosures during their political careers.
Perez has not been convicted of any crime, and the charging process will play out in Tacoma Municipal Court in the weeks ahead. For now, the arrest has become the defining story of her campaign, overshadowing the primary win that put her in position to compete for the seat this fall.
Sources:
foxnews.com, seattletimes.com, thenewstribune.com, reddit.com, academia.edu, newsweek.com