WASHINGTON — A Pierce County mother accused of causing a crash on I-5 and attempting to stab her daughters has been charged.
Janieka Ellington, 35, faces 6 counts of first-degree attempted murder, vehicular assault, and felony harassment after prosecutors say she drove her car into a barrier on southbound I-5 near Dupont on Monday morning.
Court documents reveal Ellington’s daughters were in the car with her during the collision and that they told investigators that Ellington had been drinking the night before the crash, and she had woken them up because she believed they were being followed.
The daughters are between the ages of nine and 15, and both say their mother threatened to kill them, and even tried to stab them before and after the crash.
“I have a couple of kids myself; I can’t fathom someone being in that situation that would feel like that was an option that they had to do,” said Nathan Wilkinson, who was on his way to work when he passed the wreck.
Wilkinson says he saw a woman lunge at a child and watched three Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM) soldiers wrestle with her before taking away a large knife.
“I looked at the pictures, and I could see her kid terrified that her mom was rushing towards her and stuff,” said Wilkinson.
Wilkinson says he called 911 and is grateful for the good Samaritans who stepped in on behalf of the children.
“I hope they get recognized because it’s a special thing that they did. And I’m thankful that they were there because it definitely could have went very poorly,” said Wilkinson.
Documents say both daughters were sent to local hospitals, with the youngest daughter appearing to have multiple cut wounds and broken bones.
Ellington’s lawyer requested a mental competency evaluation for Ellington, which is due in several weeks.
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