Ellensburg Driver Jailed After Allegedly Ramming Three ICE Vehicles, Fleeing on Foot

A driver is behind bars in Ellensburg facing three counts of second-degree assault and three counts of hit-and-run after federal immigration agents said their vehicles were rammed during an attempted arrest. Police say the driver fled the scene on foot before officers eventually took the suspect into custody, while a passenger who was with them remained in ICE custody.

According to AppleValleyNewsNow.com, the incident began when ICE agents attempted to arrest a person in Ellensburg. Police say the driver allegedly rammed the agents' vehicles during that attempted arrest, and both occupants of the vehicle then left the area on foot following the collision.

ICE agents later located the vehicle suspected in the hit-and-run and placed both suspects into custody, per the outlet's report. Ellensburg police then took custody of the driver, who was booked into jail on three charges of second-degree assault and three charges of hit-and-run, while the passenger stayed with federal authorities.

What Ellensburg Police Say About Their Role

Ellensburg police say they first heard about the hit-and-run crash involving a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement vehicle through a report, according to the same account. Police said they were not aware of the ICE activity beforehand and were not involved in it — a distinction the department was careful to draw as it addressed the case publicly.

Ellensburg Police Department officers do not assist federal immigration authorities with civil immigration enforcement, but the department has said it will take appropriate action on criminal incidents within its jurisdiction. That separation reflects Washington's Keep Washington Working Act, a state law enacted in May 2019 that bars state and local law enforcement agencies from participating in federal civil immigration enforcement or detaining people solely on the basis of federal civil immigration warrants, according to the Washington State Attorney General's Office. The law leaves local departments' authority to investigate and act on state criminal offenses fully intact, regardless of a person's immigration status.

The department also urged all residents to call 911 when they need help, emphasizing that people may do so regardless of immigration status. That messaging mirrors statements from other Washington agencies; the King County Sheriff's Office issued similar reassurances in February, according to the City of Maple Valley, as departments statewide follow model state guidance meant to preserve public trust and equal access to police protection.

The Legal Exposure the Driver Now Faces

Second-degree assault is a Class B felony in Washington under RCW 9A.36.021, carrying a statutory maximum of up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine, according to Beckwith Criminal Law. In practice, a first-time offender convicted without weapons enhancements typically faces a standard sentencing range of just 3 to 9 months under Washington's structured sentencing guidelines, the firm notes, since judges follow the grid set out in the state's Sentencing Reform Act rather than the statutory ceiling.

The hit-and-run charges carry their own separate exposure. Leaving the scene of a collision involving an occupied vehicle with property damage is a gross misdemeanor under RCW 46.52.020, punishable by up to 364 days in jail, a $5,000 fine, and mandatory license revocation, according to Garguile Law. Washington law requires drivers involved in a collision with an occupied vehicle to stop immediately, render aid, and exchange contact and insurance information; a hit-and-run causing bodily injury can be charged as a Class C felony.

Because the vehicles involved belonged to federal ICE agents, the driver could also face federal charges layered on top of the local case. Under 18 U.S.C. § 111, forcibly assaulting, resisting, impeding, or interfering with a federal officer performing official duties is punishable by up to 8 years in federal prison, or up to 20 years if a deadly weapon is used or physical injury results, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That statute allows federal prosecutors to pursue standalone counts independent of whatever happens in Kittitas County Superior Court.

A Pattern Seen Elsewhere in the Country

Ellensburg, the Kittitas County seat along Interstate 90 in Central Washington and home to Central Washington University, had an estimated population of roughly 20,874 residents in 2024, according to Data USA. The city isn't the first place where a vehicle has become a flashpoint during a federal immigration operation. In June 2025, Customs and Border Protection agents launched a tactical raid after an alleged ramming in Bell, California, and in August 2025, Oklahoma City police arrested a suspect accused of intentionally ramming an ICE vehicle before attempting a home invasion.

Research from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights has found that while local police in the state generally comply with restrictions on civil immigration enforcement, everyday traffic stops and multi-agency public safety responses can create complicated operational overlaps with federal authorities. The Ellensburg case appears to fit that pattern: a collision tied to a federal immigration arrest that nonetheless triggered a purely local criminal investigation once it crossed into assault and hit-and-run territory under state law.