Motorcyclist killed in collision with Kent Police SUV faced felony eluding charge in Lewis County

An 18-year-old man, killed when his motorcycle collided with a Kent Police SUV on the night of June 28, had appeared earlier that day in a Lewis County court in Chehalis on charges of felony eluding and reckless driving.

Sergey Pavlovich, 18, died of multiple blunt force injury, according to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. Initial reports by Kent Police listed the man as 20 years old. The crash occurred at about 9 p.m. in the 13700 block of Southeast 256th Street, just west of Meridian Elementary School.

The King County Sheriff’s Office, which took over the case because it involved a Kent officer, released Tuesday to the Kent Reporter a narrative from the accident report that described what happened that night.

Kent Police Officer Patrick Baughman was on patrol in the area of Southeast 256th Street and 137th Way Southeast when radio dispatched a 911 call about a motorcycle racing near him, according to the Sheriff’s Office report. Baughman began a U-turn near 137th Way and 256th Street from the right eastbound shoulder to turn westbound.

Pavlovich was riding a red Suzuki motorcycle eastbound on Southeast 256th Street, according to the report. He crested the hill and began hard braking, crossing into the westbound travel lane. The motorcycle went down on its side and slid into the driver’s door of the police SUV. Baughman had minor injuries, Pavlovich died on scene.

Sheriff’s Office spokesman Sgt. Ryan Abbott said he didn’t have any information about estimated speeds of the motorcycle or other details because the crash remains under investigation.

Lewis County high-speed chase

Pavlovich, according to a July 1 story on The Daily Chronicle (Centralia) website, was charged June 6 with felony eluding and reckless driving after he reportedly reached speeds of around 120 mph while fleeing a Morton Police officer along U.S. Highway 12 in April. Morton is about 40 miles southeast of Centralia in Lewis County, which is south of Thurston County.

A Morton Police officer was contacted by a man who said he sold a motorcycle to Pavlovich. Shortly after, the man said, Pavlovich was driving the motorcycle recklessly, according to court documents. Court papers listed Auburn as the hometown for Pavlovich.

The officer saw the motorcycle eastbound on Highway 12 and clocked it going 80 mph for about 2 miles, according to The Daily Chronicle and court documents. The motorcyclist allegedly passed six vehicles on a double-yellow line and on a blind curve in the road. The officer then sped up to try to pull over the motorcycle.

“The rider turned around and looked back at (the officer), but then increased his speed to approximately 120 mph,” according to court documents.

The officer eventually stopped the pursuit out of concern for public safety, after the motorcycle passed multiple vehicles on a double-yellow line, according to documents. Charges were filed June 6 and a summons was issued June 12 for Pavlovich to appear in court.

The paper reported that during a hearing in Lewis County Superior Court on the afternoon of June 28, Pavlovich appeared in response to the summons and was out of custody. Judge James Lawler imposed $5,000 unsecured bail, meaning Pavlovich avoided jail time until the case was tried and as long as he followed the conditions of release.

Pavlovich had an arraignment hearing scheduled for July 3 at Lewis County Superior Court in Chehalis.

The life of Sergey Pavlovich

A nearly three-hour memorial service for Pavlovich was on Sunday at the Slavic Gospel Church in Federal Way. He was buried Monday at Mountain View Cemetery in Auburn.

Slavic Gospel Church posted the memorial service on YouTube. The church also posted on YouTube the following message about the life of Pavlovich:

“Sergey Pavlovich was born on July 23, 2000, in Rivnens’ka Oblast, Ukraine into the Pavlovich family. He was the youngest amongst nine. The Pavlovich family moved to the United States in 2002. Sergey spent the majority of his life growing up in the state of Washington, teaching him to love activities such as snowboarding and quading.

Being the youngest, he was the baby in the family. He contained a lot of joy all throughout his life. He was constantly surrounded with a lot of love from family and friends. All throughout his life, Sergey remained positive no matter the circumstance. He was a dreamer. He dreamed of traveling, starting his own family, and living a life full of love & joy.

Sergey loved and cherished his family more than anything, especially his mom & dad. He always remained humble and was always helpful to those around him. He was tender hearted. His joy poured out to the lives of those around him. Sergey was always radiant and ready for the next adventure. No matter where he was or what he was doing he always found his way back home. His mom held a love so strong for him, making sure he was always taken care of. He portrayed many examples of what it meant to take care of one another, with things as simple as helping mom around the house, or doing yard work for his dad.

Apart from everything else in his life, he loved God more than anything. One thing Sergey always reminded us of, is that no matter where you are or where you are going, God is always with you. Many times, Sergey would tell his family “don’t worry about me, God is with me and protecting me everywhere I go.” He would often ask for prayer over his life from his family, but no matter what trials he had in his life, he always kept a smile on his face.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Sergey’s short life ended on June 28 due to a tragic motorcycle accident. We will not fail to believe that he is resting in a better place, looking down on all the love & tears being poured out for him. Sergey Pavlovich was and is a special person. We will all forever hold him near and dear to our hearts. Like Sergey would always say “be easy now,” so Sergey, rest easy now.”

Fundraiser

Friends of Pavlovich started a fundraiser for his parents on GoFundMe.com to help pay for funeral costs.

“Parents are older and can use any help possible,” according to the post. “Sergey was riding a motorcycle and unthinkable has happened. As a police car was turning around on a middle of a street, Sergey ran into patrol car. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

“We can’t fully understand what parents have to go through to bury an 18-year-old son but we can try to relieve an additional stress of finances that comes with this kind of tragedy.”

Sergey Pavlovich died when his motorcycle collided June 28 with a Kent Police SUV along Southeast 256th Street. Courtesy Photo/Pavlovich family