A 34-year-old man is facing multiple charges after Pierce County deputies say he drove through a school crosswalk during middle-school dismissal on Tuesday, Feb. 10, ignoring a crossing guard while a student was trying to cross.
According to deputies, school surveillance video showed the driver rolling through the marked crosswalk despite the guard’s clear orders to stop. That footage set off a quick follow up: investigators used the video to track down the vehicle the next day, then arrested the driver, an incident the Sheriff’s Office spotlighted in its weekly school resource officer roundup.
According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office blotter, school cameras recorded the driver refusing to wait, then driving through the crosswalk while a student attempted to cross. The department also flagged the case in a post on X from its official account, and deputies say reviewing the video gave them probable cause to move forward.
The blotter notes that deputies reviewed the footage on Feb. 11, spotted the suspect vehicle parked in the school’s bus loop and tried to contact the driver. When he refused to step out, an officer broke a window and pulled him from the car. The man was booked into Pierce County Jail on suspicion of reckless driving, two counts of driving while license suspended and resisting arrest. The department’s post, tagged "Body Cam," wrapped up with a thank you to School Resource Officers for keeping students safe.
What the law says
Washington law requires drivers to stop, and stay stopped, to allow pedestrians to cross within a marked or unmarked crosswalk. It also directs motorists to use due care around people on foot, with penalties that can increase in school zones. The legal standard for crosswalks and driver responsibilities is set out in the Revised Code of Washington.
Crossing guard safety and prevention
Safety advocates say this sort of incident is part of a larger problem around school zones, where crossing guards and students often face fast traffic and distracted drivers. A recent investigation by KIRO 7 documented hundreds of crashes involving crossing guards and school zones nationwide, and identified gaps in staffing and reporting in Washington. The Washington Traffic Safety Commission offers school-zone and crossing-guard grants that districts can use for training and equipment aimed at safer crossings.
Charges and next steps
Per the blotter, deputies say they had probable cause to arrest the driver and book him on the listed counts. Prosecutors will now review the case to decide what charges to formally file. Washington’s statutes on driving while license suspended and reckless driving carry both criminal penalties and administrative fallout, including potential extended suspensions and, in some cases, gross misdemeanor exposure, as described in RCW 46.20.342.
