A 47-year-old Bellevue man is facing vehicular assault and drunk driving charges following a high-speed pursuit on the I-90 bridge Friday night that ended in a fiery collision at a medical office on Mercer Island.
WSP reports a trooper on the I-90 bridge clocked Peter E. Kern traveling eastbound in an express lane at 150 mph in his 2013 Porsche Panamera and began pursuit around 11:30 p.m. Kern was observed exiting onto Island Crest Way in Mercer Island where he lost control of his vehicle, striking a street sign and then the Mercer Park Dentistry building.
The Porsche caught fire, but Kern and his female passenger, a 36-year-old Issaquah woman, were able to exit the vehicle with minor injuries. They remained on scene, according to WSP, and were taken to Overlake Medical Center.
The Mercer Island Fire Department responded to the vehicle fire on the 3000 block of Island Crest Way and kept it from spreading to the building with the assistance of firefighters from Bellevue and Issaquah.
Kern is facing DUI, reckless driving and vehicular assault charges, which Trooper Chris Webb said is due to the injuries sustained by the passenger. The Bellevue man is the confirmed owner of the Porsche Panamera, which Webb said are marketed at $75,000 to $175,000.