West

Illegal immigrant accused of killing Washington state trooper was previously accused of domestic violence

Published

2 years ago

March 9, 2024

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Illegal immigrant accused of killing Washington state trooper was previously accused of domestic violence

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The illegal migrant who crashed into a Washington State Patrol car and killed the officer inside was previously arrested on charges of domestic abuse, officials claim.

Raul Benitez Santana, 32, was arrested last Saturday after the fatal incident, which took the life of 27-year-old Trooper Christopher Gadd.

King County court documents obtained by the “Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH show that Santana was previously arrested for assaulting his girlfriend — identified by the initials “M.C.” — who was also the mother of his then-five-month-old child.

MAN WHO CRASHED INTO WASHINGTON STATE PATROL TROOPER, KILLING HIM, IN US ILLEGALLY: ICE

Raul Benitez Santana is accused of killing a Washington State Patrol officer after crashing his car into a patrol vehicle. (FOX 13 Seattle)

M.C. reported to police that the confrontation began when she got into an argument with Santana over text messages he was receiving from another woman, according to the documents.

M.C. reported throwing Santana’s phone, after which he began punching her repeatedly. She suffered significant damage to her face, including a broken nose and swollen left eye. A non-felony plea deal from Santana was accepted in May 2019.

Following the arrest, officers noticed irregularities in Santana’s personal identification records.

WASHINGTON STATE TROOPER KILLED IN THREE-VEHICLE CRASH WHILE SEARCHING FOR DUI DRIVERS

King County became a sanctuary county in 2013, and Washington became a sanctuary state in 2019 to push back against effort by then-President Donald Trump to tighten restrictions on illegal immigrants in the U.S.

“The search incident to his arrest yielded multiple identification documents for him bearing a variety of names and other changed identifying information such as social security numbers,” documents surrounding the case read.

Santana was arrested last week following the fatal car accident and is being held on $1 million bail after allegedly crashing his vehicle into a Washington State Patrol trooper and killing him.

CAR LAUNCHES FROM ROAD, LANDS 200 FEET BELOW DUE TO ‘DISTRACTED DRIVING’: VIDEO

Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher M. Gadd, 27, served the agency for two and a half years. He is survived by his wife and daughter, his parents, sister and other family members. (Washington State Patrol)

Gadd was watching for speeding and DUI drivers, when he was struck and killed in a three-vehicle crash on Interstate 5 around 3 a.m. Saturday.

An investigation into the crash found an SUV being driven by Santana was heading southbound on the interstate when the vehicle veered onto the shoulder and struck the trooper’s patrol car.

The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office reportedly found the SUV was traveling at a high rate of speed when it crashed into the police vehicle.

On Tuesday, FOX 13 in Seattle reported it had obtained court documents alleging Santana had bloodshot eyes and admitted to police he had been drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana before getting behind the wheel of the vehicle and driving.

Santana was booked into the Snohomish County Jail, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Seattle Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) division placed an immigration detainer on the Mexican citizen.

He was first encountered by Seattle ERO on Oct. 28, 2013, at the South Correctional Entity in Burien, Washington, after being arrested for failing to appear in court for driving on a suspended license.

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He was also sentenced to 90 days behind bars, with 87 of the days suspended, in May 2013, after being convicted of possessing less than 40 grams of marijuana.

On Oct. 6, 2014, Santana was sentenced to 90 days behind bars for driving on a suspended license, and in May 2019, was arrested again for domestic violence assault.

Fox News Digital’s Griff Jenkins contributed to this report.

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Denver, CO

Our dumpling challenge boils down to eight Denver metro restaurants

Published

24 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Our dumpling challenge boils down to eight Denver metro restaurants

Like sand through the hourglass, so too go the dumplings of the Denver Post’s annual food bracket.

Our competition started with 32 restaurants chosen by editors and readers specializing in dumplings and momos, a Tibetan and Nepali variation, in the Denver area. Two weeks later, only eight restaurants remain.

The next round of matchups in our Elite 8 competition to be decided by reader votes are:

Rocky Mountain Momo (9678 E. Arapahoe Road, Englewood) vs. ChoLon (multiple locations)

LingLon Dumpling House (2456 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver) vs. Star Kitchen (2917 W. Mississippi Ave., Denver)

Nana’s Dim Sum & Dumplings (multiple locations) vs. Dillon’s Dumpling House (3571 S. Tower Road, Unit G, Aurora)

Hop Alley (3500 Larimer St., Denver) vs. Momo Dumplings (caterer; momo-dumplings.com)

The most recent matchups recorded more than 460 entries. Our most popular head-to-head was Rocky Mountain Momo facing off against Yuan Wonton. Rocky Mountain Momo advances with 55% of 260 votes.

MAKfam, a Chinese restaurant with a Michelin nod for its value, faced a tough first-round opponent, The Empress Seafood, and scraped out a win. But this time, it wasn’t as lucky, losing to ChoLon, an upscale Asian fusion restaurant with multiple locations, by only five votes.

Make your picks below for who should advance to the next round. The online voting form will close at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 15.

Subscribe to our new food newsletter, Stuffed, to get Denver food and drink news sent straight to your inbox.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle goal overturned for goalie interference as Predators complete 4-2 comeback win

Published

30 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Seattle goal overturned for goalie interference as Predators complete 4-2 comeback win

SEATTLE — Ryan Ufko scored his first NHL goal with 5:35 to play in the second period to put the Nashville Predators ahead to stay in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday night.

The rookie skated in from the right of the goal, dodged between two defenders, and tucked the puck past Seattle goalie Joey Daccord to give the Predators a 3-2 lead and two critical points in their chase for a wild-card playoff spot. Right now, the team is on the outside of the playoff picture.

Tyson Jost and Reid Schaefer also scored second-period goals to erase Seattle’s 2-0 first-period lead, and Steve Stamkos added an empty-netter for his 31st goal of the season.

Jonathan Marchessault had a pair of assists for Nashville, which had lost four of its previous five, and Juuse Saros made 43 saves.

Kaapo Kakko scored just 2:14 into the game, and Matty Beniers scored at 9:46 of the first period to give the Kraken a 2-0 lead. Beniers scored from a tough angle, firing from the bottom of the right circle and over the shoulder of Saros just inside the far post.

Daccord finished with 23 saves.

Seattle’s Shane Wright scored a goal in the second, but it was waved off because of goalie interference when Ryker Evans slid into Saros and took out his feet.

The Kraken were without left wing Jaden Schwartz, who was hit in the face by a skate during Seattle’s 7-4 loss to Ottawa on Saturday.

Kraken, clinging to a wild-card slot, have now lost five of their last seven games.

Up next

Predators: Visit Vancouver on Thursday night.

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Kraken: Host Colorado on Thursday night.

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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Miguel Andujar

Published

36 minutes ago

March 11, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Miguel Andujar – San Diego Union-Tribune

MIGUEL ANDUJAR

Position(s): Third base, left field, first base
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 31
Height / Weight: 6-foot / 211 pounds
How acquired: Signed as a free agent in February 2026
Contract status: Will make $1.5 million in 2026, with the opportunity to earn another $2 million-plus in performance bonuses; his $4 million guarantee includes a $2.5 million buyout against an $8 million mutual option for 2027.
fWAR in 2025: 1.1
Key 2025 stats: .318 AVG, .352 OBP, .470 SLG, 10 HRs, 44 RBIs, 36 runs, 17 walks, 49 strikeouts, 1 steal (94 games, 341 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

.986 — Andujar’s OPS against left-handed pitching in 2025, the second-highest mark of his career and well above his career .807 OPS against southpaws. Andujar had been below .600 in 2021 and 2022 before jumping to .871 in 2023 and a career-high .995 in 2024.

Up — Signed for $700,000 out of the Dominican Republic as a 16-year-old in the international amateur market, Andujar needed two years to get out of the Yankees’ rookie-ball affiliate in the Gulf Coast League and finally cracked top-100 lists ahead of the 2018 season — No. 59 at Baseball America and No. 65 at MLB.com — after reaching Triple-A following a 16-homer season (.850 OPS). Andujar even made his MLB debut as a 22-year-old in 2017 and looked like he’d be a big part of the Yankees’ future after pairing 27 homers and 92 RBIs with an .855 OPS in finishing second to Shohei Ohtani in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2018. But a right shoulder labrum tear derailed Andujar in 2019 and Andujar was never able to grab a starting job again in New York. The Pirates claimed him late in 2022 and then the Athletics claimed him after the 2023 season. By then, he’d developed into a platoon player with defensive limitations. Andujar had a .697 OPS in 75 games in his first year with the Athletics and a .765 OPS in 60 games last year when, after missing time with a right oblique strain, he was shipped to the Reds for a minor league pitcher. Andujar went on to hit .359/.400/.544 with four homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games to help the Reds lock up a wild-card spot. He was 0-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout in the NL Wild Card Series sweep at the hands of the Dodgers.

Miguel Andujar #41 of the San Diego Padres participates in drills during spring training workouts at the Peoria Sports Complex on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 in Peoria, Ariz.(Meg McLaughlin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

2026 OUTLOOK

The need for right-handed balance in the lineup was painfully obvious in the Padres’ NL Wild Card Series loss to the Cubs, so Andujar became a target after 1B/OF Ryan O’Hearn walked as a free agent. Expect Andujar to get at-bats against lefties as either a DH, first base, third base or left field — the spots he’s been playing in spring training.