Lynnwood man held in 15th DUI arrest

A 51-year-old Lynnwood man accused of rear-ending a car and then fleeing from troopers in North Seattle on Saturday has been arrested a 15th time for investigation of drunken driving, the State Patrol said.

The man, identified by the State Patrol as Robert Castle, allegedly struck a Toyota with his Ford pickup as he was exiting Interstate 5 near Northgate Mall around 12:30 p.m.

After knocking the Toyota into a Mazda, Castle backed up his truck and drove off, the State Patrol said. The drivers of the Toyota and Mazda were not injured.

With their lights and sirens activated, troopers chased the pickup until it stopped near Northeast 130th Street and Roosevelt Way Northeast. The suspect got out, tried to fight authorities and was arrested after being shot with a Taser, the State Patrol said.

A passenger in the pickup, a 52-year-old Seattle man, was injured when he fell out the passenger door after the truck stopped. He was treated by the Seattle Fire Department and released.

Castle was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of drunken driving and for three outstanding warrants — two for eluding police and one for a previous DUI, the State Patrol said.

He was also arrested for investigation of driving with a revoked license, resisting arrest and hit-and-run, the State Patrol said.

The State Patrol said Castle has been arrested for investigation of drunken driving 15 times and has been convicted of DUI five times over the past 10 years.

Because he has five prior convictions, Saturday's arrest qualifies for a felony charge, State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill said.

On Friday, a Seattle municipal court judge set a $10,000 arrest warrant for Castle for failing to appear in court the day before. Castle is pending trial in Seattle on charges of drunken driving, resisting arrest and driving with a revoked license. Seattle police arrested him in September 2006.

Times news researcher Gene Balk contributed to this report.

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com