Man caught spraying fire extinguisher into Mount Baker Tunnel

KING COUNTY, Wash. — Some scary moments for drivers just after noon on Interstate 90 today.

A man was caught spraying a fire extinguisher inside the Mount Baker Tunnel.

Luckily, no one was injured.

That man was walking eastbound inside the Mount Baker Tunnel, facing unsuspecting drivers.

The DOT cameras showed the man standing alongside the tunnel, appearing to disrobe. Then he walked into the westbound tunnel.

After a few minutes, he found a fire extinguisher and began spraying it toward oncoming traffic.

“It’s so nice outside,” said Rosalind Brazel of Seattle. “It’s so peaceful. It’s a nice summer. We’re coming through COVID. Why would you want to tear up someone else’s car?”

When the first canister ran out, the man went after the telephones that are housed inside the tunnel. Then he found another fire extinguisher and sprayed it toward oncoming traffic too.

“It’s frightening,” said Rodney Hines, a Seattle cyclist. “I think if you’re driving and something that surprises and shocks you and hits your windshield, it will throw you off. And it can be disruptive in what you’re doing.”

That is what happened to this Tacoma man late last month. Rick Hecker was on his way home from work when someone threw a street sign right into his path on Interstate 5.

Indeed, there have been scores of similar incidents on I-90 and I-5 in Seattle, posing a serious threat to drivers.

The DOT video shows the man inside the Mount Baker Tunnel for 15 minutes before Washington state troopers arrived. They shut down the tunnel’s westbound lanes and inched their way over to him. Then they took him into custody.

All of it is making Brazel wonder.

Why is this a new thing?” she asked. “Do people not have anything better to do?”

A WSP spokesman wasn’t sure if the man would be booked into the King County Jail right away.

Authorities will first determine if he needs a mental evaluation.

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