Driver who caused fatal US crash flees to China to avoid extradition

The driver of a Porsche 911 which crashed at high speed – resulting in the death of the sports car’s passenger – has fled from the US to China via Canada, in an attempt to avoid extradition.

US newspaper the Bellevue Reporter reports 26-year-old Ting Ye – a Chinese national working in nearby Seattle – was driving the Porsche 911 at about 3:45am September 30 on 112th Avenue Northeast.

After reaching 90mph (145km/h) in a 30mph (56km/h) zone, she lost control of the sports car which slammed sideways into a concrete barrier and rolled multiple times in the air before coming to a rest.

According to Bellevue police department spokesperson Officer Seth Tyler, Ms Ye’s passenger – 27-year-old Yabao Liu, a fellow Chinese national – was found deceased in the Porsche when emergency responders arrived, though it was reportedly unclear who was driving the car at the time of the crash.

Charging documents seen by the Bellevue Reporter allege Ms Ye had a strong odour of alcohol on her breath, though she refused to speak to detectives investigating the fatal incident.

Delays in piecing together who was at fault for the crash meant a warrant for Ms Ye’s arrest on the charge of vehicular homicide wasn’t issued until a week after the incident, by which time she had left hospital on October 6.

The publication reports Ms Ye was driven across the Canadian border to Vancouver – approximately 2.5 hours away – on October 9, and flew back to China the day after, just hours after the Bellevue arrest warrant was entered into the system.

As China and the US do not share an extradition treaty, Ms Ye cannot be legally removed from her homeland to face the charges in Washington State.

Mr Tyler told the Bellevue Reporter Ms Ye is currently under a national arrest warrant which will alert authorities if she attempts to re-enter the US, while the police department is also attempting to apply for an Interpol Red Notice – preventing her from visiting countries which have an extradition treaty with the US.

While the Bellevue police department has reportedly been contacted by Chinese news publications about the incident, the US government remains without the power to extradite Ye to face charges.