Washington state trooper fatally shoots a man during a freeway altercation, police say

EVERETT, Wash. (AP) — A Washington state trooper fatally shot a man with a hammer who had attacked state Department of Transportation workers along Interstate 5 north of Seattle, law enforcement officials said.

Around 4 p.m. Thursday, state patrol troopers responded to a report of a road rage incident on the shoulder of I-5 northbound in Everett, the Snohomish County Multiple Agency Response Team said in a news release. The team investigates police use of force incidents.

The driver of a vehicle started ramming a Department of Transportation contractor vehicle that had a lift operating over a slough with two contractors on board, investigators said.

The driver had a hammer and during an altercation with the workers and a trooper, the trooper fatally shot the driver, according to the news release. The driver died at the scene despite aid from law enforcement, the news release said.