Mercedes rolls over, catches fire in hit-and-run crash

SEATTLE — Seattle police said they arrested the driver of a Mercedes that flipped and burned in Seattle’s North Beacon Hill neighborhood.

The driver’s passenger, whom police said was a woman five months pregnant, also got out and ran, but did not get away.

The wild crash happened shortly after midnight at the corner of 14^th Avenue South and South College Street.

Police said the Mercedes was speeding northbound on 14^th when the driver lost control.  The car flipped (one witness says end-over-end) and knocked over a fire hydrant before ending up on its roof.

Another witness said at first there was just a little fire, but much bigger flames broke out.  He said he told police he was afraid it might explode if wasn’t extinguished quickly.  Seattle firefighters had to use foam to put it out before it threatened the home nearby.

Police soon caught up with the fleeing driver, who was booked into the King County Jail about 2:30 a.m. for investigation of felony hit-and-run.

Offices believe alcohol and speed were factors in the crash.

Medics transported the pregnant woman to the hospital as a precaution, but she did not appear to have been badly injured.

KIRO