Tourists Run Over, Killed at Washington Swimming Hole

Two German tourists visiting family in nearby Portland, Oregon, were run over and killed by a local man as they sunbathed by a swimming hole, police in Washington state said Wednesday. Police arrested David E. Croswell, 71, of Washougal, Washington, and held him on suspicion of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of intoxicants and hit-and-run driving that causes death, the AP reports. Killed were Rudolf Hohstadt, 61, and Regina Hohstadt, 62, of Germany. The pair had arrived in the United States a few days ago to visit the Portland metropolitan area and took a trip to the Washougal River, police said. The river in southwest Washington is about a 30-minute drive from Portland.

Croswell did not stop or slow down after crashing through the fence, police said in a statement. He tore down a steep embankment to the sunbathing area, turned hard to the left, ran over the victims and then circled up a berm, knocked over a sign and left through the other side of the parking lot. He was arrested several miles away, police said. Authorities do not believe the man arrested and the victims knew each other or had any interaction with each other before the crash. The incident shocked Washougal, a small riverside town. Residents stopped by Wednesday to leave flowers.

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