Police in Washington State are pleading for the driver who crashed her Porsche on a Washington state freeway while allegedly drunk to return to the US.
A nationwide warrant has been issued for Ting Ye, 26, who has been charged with vehicular homicide, with bail set at $2million.
Ye quickly fled to her home country of China before she could be apprehended by police.
She is accused of killing her passenger, 27-year-old Yabao Liu, after she lost control of the high performance car as she travelled at speeds of up to 100mph.
The accident sent the Porsche 911 flying into the air and saw it flipping several times before it came to rest in bushes on September 30.
Traffic camera footage shows the tremendous speed Ye was traveling near 108th Ave NE and SR 520 in Bellevue. Police say they believe she was driving under the influence of alcohol.
Liu and Ye had to be removed from the heavily-damaged vehicle. It’s unclear what their relationship was.
A nationwide warrant has been issued for Ting Ye, 26, who has been charged with vehicular homicide with bail set at $2million. Ye is believed to have fled to China
New traffic camera footage showed the horrific moment Ye allegedly lost control of the white sports car and crashed the vehicle she was driving on September 30
Both Ye and Liu come from China and were in Washington for work, records show.
According to court documents, a first responder noted the ‘strong odor of alcohol coming from the defendant’s breath,’ in the aftermath of the crash.
Bellevue police believe Ye was released from Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries before she crossed the international border into Canada and fleeing to China.
Her flight came just days before the King County prosecuting attorney’s office filed a charge of vehicular homicide, with a warrant for her arrest.
Because she is no longer in the country, Ye’s case has since been escalated and handed over to the U.S. Department of Justice.
There is no extradition order between the US and China, meaning Beijing is not obligated to force Ye to return to America for court proceedings.
In Washington, vehicular homicide comes with the sentence of between six-and-a-half years and eight-and-a-half years in jail.
Former U.S. Ambassador to China Gary Locke said: ‘The story is not over.’
He added: ‘Yes, she was able to elude the arrest warrant, but if she were to ever travel to another country, let’s say to Europe on business or pleasure to an area, to a country that does have an extradition treaty with the United States she’ll be flagged when she enters that country by Interpol and subject to extradition back to the United States if the United States government so desires.’
Pictured: The white sports car, allegedly driven by the Chinese woman, turned over and crashed after the collision
The mangled wreckage of the Porsche 911 after it flew off the freeway at more than 100mph
Video footage shows the dramatic moment the car hit the side of the road and flipped
In Washington, vehicular homicide comes with the sentence of between six-and-a-half years and eight-and-a-half years in jail
Bellevue Police Department’s Public Information Officer Seth Tyler said: ‘Based on the skid marks and evidence left at the scene that the car was going well in excess of 100 miles an hour.
‘The vehicle hit the barrier there and was actually thrown into the air and hit the side of that bridge where it came to rest.’
Police also say that Ye was discharged from hospital without them knowing but had been ordered to hand over her passport and not leave Washington State.
He said: ‘We were not notified by hospital personnel, my understanding is that she was not going to be released anytime soon due to her injuries, and so we were under the assumption she was going to remain at the hospital for some time.
‘The warrant was not yet in the system, she was at that point not prohibited from leaving the country, and so there was a delay unfortunately.
According to court documents, a first responder noted the ‘strong odor of alcohol coming from the defendant’s breath,’ following the crash
‘The warrant wasn’t issued until a couple days later, and then at that point she had a court appearance that was scheduled last Tuesday that she did fail to appear for.
‘We just want to make it clear to Ms. Ye that she is wanted for vehicular homicide, we need her to come back to speak with us.
‘She has a warrant in the system if she ever tries to enter the United States, she’s going to be immediately arrested.
‘We need her to just come back, take care of this, so the family of the victim can move on.’
In a statement, Bellevue Police Department says it’s collaborating with federal agencies and international law enforcement partners to arrest Ye.
They said: ‘It is imperative that she comprehends the gravity of her situation, recognizing the potential repercussions of evading the legal process.’
A bench warrant has since been issued for her arrest after Ye failed to show up for her arraignment.
If Ye were to enter the US again, the warrant would be flagged and she would be under arrest.
‘Our plea to is that she return and realize that there’s a grieving family involved here,’ said Tyler.
‘They really need closure on this. She can bring this matter to a close by returning to the United States.’