A month before Mike Turner got in a red 1986 Pontiac Firebird and smashed into a metal pole, killing himself and two friends April 4, he was arrested on charges of driving under the influence, hit and run and four other offenses, according to police reports.

Turner, 20, Kellen Jones, 20, and Spenser Millard, 19, died when their speeding car hit a sign pole outside of a Taco Time on Northwest Market Street and Northwest 54th Street. A teenage girl who was also in the car remains in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center.

Detective Jeff Kappel with the Seattle Police Department confirmed that Turner was behind the wheel. Police still don’t know if alcohol was a factor in the crash.

At 3:59 a.m. March 6, the Seattle Police Department dispatched officers to Northwest 65th Street and 20th Avenue Northwest, where witnesses reported that a white van struck several parked vehicles.

When officers arrived at the crash scene, they saw a white Chevrolet had hit a tree and was parked on a planting strip at Northwest 67th Street and 20th Avenue Northwest, according to a police report.

Upon approaching the van, police saw a man later identified as Turner “sitting in the driver’s seat ... with a dazed look on his face.” A male passenger seated on the floor in the back of the van was “clutching his legs [and] ankles, moaning” and seemed visibly injured, according to the report.

Turner only exited the van after repeated commands from the officers. In the report, officers reported his “movements were deliberate and his reaction time was very slow."

Stepping out of the van and onto the planting strip, “[Turner] was very unstable … and unable to keep his balance.” The report states officers detected alcohol on his breath and noticed that his eyes appeared bloodshot and his face flushed. As Turner neared the sidewalk, he stumbled and fell face first onto the asphalt, “making an audible thumping sound.”

Police opted not to perform a field sobriety test because, noticing that Turner’s balance was poor and he had just fallen on the sidewalk, they thought it would have been hazardous to his safety, the report states.

Officers decided to arrest Turner on charges of a DUI and hit and run at the scene. He and the other passenger were treated for injuries at Harborview.

Police found a sealed bottle of beer in Turner’s van and, when searching Turner, discovered approximately 10 white pills in his jacket pocket. Turner admitted he did not have a prescription for them and had taken some recently, according to the police report.

During questioning, Turner “seemed to think everything was fine” and, according to the report, could not even recall why he was under arrest or that he had even been driving at all.

Turner’s blood-alcohol content measured 0.14 at the police station hours after the collision, the report states. This is seven times the legal limit for minors, which is 0.02.

Washington State Department of Licensing spokesperson Tony Sermonti said they were notified Turner had been arrested on charges of a DUI March 8, two days after the crash.

The Department of Licensing would have suspended Turner’s license 60 days from the date of arrest. This time period is designed to give the drivers due process, where they are allowed to apply for an administrative hearing with the department.

“If someone is arrested for DUI, they’re still innocent until proven guilty,” Sermonti said.

The typical suspension period for a DUI is 90 days, but because the initial 60 days had not passed, Turner’s license was still valid at the time of the April 4 crash.

Sermonti said they don’t yet know if Turner applied for a hearing.

Kimberly Mills, spokesperson for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, said the DUI charges were dismissed April 5 upon Turner's death.

Turner’s family also requested the $500 which was posted at the time of the arrest to be returned to them for funeral arrangements, and the city did not object, Mills said.