UPDATE: December 21 at 4:15 p.m.
The Tacoma Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in locating a vehicle involved in the fatal collision on State Route 509.
On Friday, December 19, at approximately 7:23 p.m., the trooper was struck by a vehicle while investigating an unrelated crash on the on-ramp to southbound SR-509 from Port of Tacoma Road.
The impact left the trooper incapacitated in the roadway.
Shortly after, a second vehicle, described as a dark-colored pickup truck, struck the trooper. The vehicle continued southbound on SR-509.
The police are looking for the dark pickup truck, possibly black, which may be a Chevrolet Avalanche or a Cadillac Escalade EXT-style pickup. It could have tinted windows, chrome door handles and chrome running boards. No license plate information is available.
Anyone who witnessed the collision, saw the vehicle or might have dash-camera footage from the area around 7:20–7:30 p.m. is urged to contact the Tacoma Police Department or submitted through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
UPDATE: December 20, 2025 10:24 a.m.
One trooper died Friday evening after being hit by a car in Tacoma, according to the Washington State Patrol.
Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting was standing outside her patrol car investigating a crash when she was hit by a car around 7:30 p.m. on southbound SR-509 near mile post 2, Patrol said.
The Tacoma Police Department is investigating the incident.
Washington State Patrol said Gutling began her career as a trooper in January 2024 and graduated with the 119th Trooper Basic Training Class. She served district 1 in Tacoma.
“Tara’s loss is deeply felt within the WSP family, and especially by her husband, Timothy, who himself serves as a Deputy State Fire Marshal at the WSP Fire Training Academy in North Bend,” Patrol wrote.
Gutling was born on July 19, 1996 in Honolulu, Hawaii. She went to Mililani High School and graduated in May 2014. She enlisted in the Army National Guard in October 2014, where she served as a Signal Intelligence Analyst until October 2022.
“Her dedication to service and commitment to her duties were evident throughout her eight-year military career,” Patrol wrote.
Gutling married her husband in August 2019 at the Fire Training Academy.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to Timothy, Tara’s extended family, her friends, her academy classmates, to District 1 Captain Gundermann, and his entire team,” WSP Chief John R. Batiste said. “We will never forget Badge #720 – Trooper Tara-Marysa Gutling.
“The sky has poured rain on us all for the past two weeks… And with this loss, now tears flood our souls,” Batiste wrote.
KING COUNTY, Wash. – A Washington State Patrol (WSP) trooper was struck by a semi truck on Friday night while stopped in their vehicle at a collision scene on eastbound Interstate 90, according to WSP Trooper Rick Johnson.
The trooper involved in the collision was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Johnson urged drivers to slow down as winter conditions create elevated hazards on I-90 and other major roads.
Article originally published December 19, 2025 10:51 p.m.
