Man Said He Consumed “Acid” Before Crashing Into Multiple Missoula Vehicles
At around 1:00 a.m. on Saturday, Missoula Police Officers were dispatched to a multiple vehicle crash near the intersection of Higgins and Mount. Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh explains.
“When they arrived, the observed three vehicles involved, including one that was still occupied by the driver who was subsequently identified as 31-year-old Zachary Troutman,” Welsh said. “The officers learned that Troutman had been traveling at a high rate of speed and struck another vehicle from behind that was occupied by a second driver. From there, the vehicle that Troutman was driving crashed into an unoccupied vehicle, causing damage there as well.”
Court documents indicate Troutman had multiple cuts on his face and was bleeding from his face and head. When asked if he was ok, Troutman said he was. When asked what happened, Troutman said he had “too much acid tonight” and he was “tripping.”
At one point, Troutman said he was going to punch one of the firefighters on the scene. Troutman began punching the steering wheel of his car, honking the horn, and shouting.
“They attempted to get him out of the vehicle, but he became argumentative, aggressive, and challenged the officers,” Welsh said. “He threatened officers, firefighters, and EMTs on the scene. He was subsequently pulled from the vehicle and was eventually detained. He was transported by ambulance to the hospital, where he was then arrested.”
One witness reported that he had been driving east on Mount and was stopped at a stop light when Troutman passed him and ran the red light. He estimated that Troutman’s vehicle was going 70mph or faster.
Another witness stated that all he saw were the headlights of a car coming up behind him very fast and then he was rear-ended. He said he was very happy that nobody was seriously hurt. He felt that Troutman had put his life in danger by his driving.
Troutman was charged with felony criminal endangerment, DUI, obstructing a peace officer, and reckless driving. Troutman's charging documents can be found here.