A King County man who authorities say tried to light a homemade "tennis ball" explosive on Interstate 90 is headed to federal prison for a year and a half, capping an episode that turned a routine Friday commute into a bomb scare on Mercer Island.
Sokphana Soeung, 42, was sentenced Friday to 18 months behind bars for his role in the October 12, 2024 incident, which shut down westbound I-90 for hours while bomb squads and investigators swept the scene.
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun told Soeung he had "displayed an alarming disrespect for the law" and put the community at extreme risk, according to KIRO 7. Prosecutors had argued for a two-year sentence, pointing to what they described as a long criminal record driven by drug addiction.
How the Chase Unfolded
Bellevue officers say the chaos started quietly at Enatai Beach Park, where they found two men asleep in a running, stolen Mercedes. Police placed stop sticks around the car, but the driver woke up, rolled over the strips and pulled away, leading officers on a slow-speed pursuit onto westbound I-90.
A Washington State Patrol trooper used a PIT maneuver to spin the Mercedes out. Body-worn camera video shows the driver jumping out and sprinting down the ramp, a lighter in one hand and a small, taped device in the other, before officers tackled him, according to KIRO 7.
Devices, Evidence and the Shutdown
A press release from the U.S. Department of Justice says the device in Soeung's hand was a tennis ball packed with about 50 grams of explosive powder with a fuse attached. Investigators later found a second improvised device inside the stolen Mercedes, this one made from sparklers.
The bomb-squad response shut down the westbound lanes for roughly three hours while technicians worked to make the area safe and recover evidence.
Drugs and the Prosecution's Argument
Prosecutors told the court they wanted a stiffer sentence because of Soeung's criminal history and ongoing struggles with drugs, according to FOX 13 Seattle. During the incident, law enforcement also recovered about 50 fentanyl pills from the passenger in the car, and officers believed Soeung himself was high on fentanyl while behind the wheel, KIRO 7 reported.
What the Sentence Means Legally
According to the earlier release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, unlawful possession of a destructive device carries a statutory maximum of up to 10 years in federal prison. Judge Chun's 18-month term comes in well below that cap but reflects the court's view of the danger posed by the homemade explosive and the public-safety risks created on a busy regional freeway. The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.
Bellevue police have publicly praised the officers who chose to close in and tackle Soeung rather than retreat, saying their quick decision likely prevented injuries. With sentencing complete, the case closes a troubling chapter that showed how improvised explosives and drug-fueled confrontations can turn a normal day on Seattle-area roads into a full-scale emergency.
