Washington Democrat Krista Perez, 40, had just finished first in her House primary when Tacoma police body-camera footage captured her after a crash. The video shows her admitting she drank wine, rating her own sobriety a four out of ten, declining field sobriety tests, and later crying and praying in the back of a patrol car.
Perez is the progressive Democrat challenging incumbent Rep. Melanie Morgan from the left in Washington’s 29th Legislative District. One week after Perez edged Morgan in the August 4 primary by a margin of a few hundred votes, Tacoma police say her 2019 Chevrolet Silverado struck a parked car shortly after midnight on August 11. The collision triggered a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles. No injuries were reported, according to Fox News.
The body-camera footage was first obtained by The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red. At the scene, officers asked Perez whether she had been in an accident. She said she had not and explained that she was coming from a friend’s business on Tacoma Avenue South.
When an officer asked whether she had consumed alcohol, Perez answered, “I just had some wine while I was there,” followed by, “I had a glass of wine, one glass of wine.” When asked how large the glass was, she replied, “I think you might need to contact the business.”
The officer then asked Perez to rate her sobriety from zero to 10, with zero meaning completely sober. Perez initially said she wanted to go home. After being asked again, she rated herself a four.
Officers offered standardized field sobriety tests and repeatedly explained that the tests were voluntary. Perez responded, “Not right now. I’d like to go home first,” while continuing to say she was “confused.” The officer told her she was not going home first and that the choice was yes or no. Perez asked whether she was allowed to decline. After the officer confirmed that she could, she said she was declining.
Moments later, Perez was placed under arrest for DUI. “Hold on. Hold on. One second. Hold on,” she said. She also told the officer she did “not know what any of this means.”
Police cited a strong odor of alcohol, mood swings, slurred speech, red eyes, and an unsteady gait. Court papers say the Silverado was nearly on top of another vehicle and that the driver’s airbag had deployed.
Once Perez was seated in the back of the patrol car, the footage showed her sobbing and praying in both Spanish and English. She said, “Dios, ayúdame por favor. Ayúdame por favor.” She then continued, “Help me, God. Help me. Help me. Holy Spirit, help me, God.”
The video shared by Jason Rantz captures the encounter from the initial questions at the crash scene through Perez’s arrest and the emotional moments that followed inside the patrol car.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
A Democrat running for the Washington Legislature told police she drank wine, then asked to go home before taking a sobriety test. Exclusive body cam shows Krista Perez sobbing and praying in the back of a patrol car after her Tacoma DUI arrest. Watch the video. pic.twitter.com/cc7rwvJEpF
— Jason Rantz on Seattle Red (@jasonrantz) September 16, 2026