Newly released body camera footage shows Krista Perez, a Democratic candidate for a Washington state House seat, crying, praying, and repeatedly asking to go home in the back of a patrol car after her arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence, according to Breitbart News.
Perez, 40, won the Democratic primary in Washington’s 29th Legislative District, Position 1. The Tacoma Police Department said she struck a parked car shortly after midnight on August 11, setting off a chain reaction that damaged five vehicles total, according to The Jason Rantz Show on Seattle Red.
A Difficult Scene at the Roadside
In the footage, an officer approaches Perez standing outside her vehicle, where an airbag had deployed near the front wheel. When asked whether she had been in an accident, Perez replied that she had not.
Pressed on what happened, she said, “I don’t know. I’ve never been in an accident before.”
When the officer requested her insurance information, Perez said she had changed policies within the previous two weeks but could not name her insurance company. She told police she had been driving from a friend’s business on Tacoma Avenue South when the collision occurred.
Asked whether she had anything to drink that night, Perez said she had consumed wine at the friend’s business. She initially described having “one glass of wine.”
“I’m confused about what our questions are right now,” she said when the officer asked how large the glass was, adding, “I think you might need to contact the business.”
When asked to rate her level of intoxication on a scale from zero to ten, with zero being sober and ten being unable to function, Perez deflected by saying she wanted to go home. After the officer repeated the question, she answered, “Four.”
Declining Field Sobriety Tests
The officer told Perez multiple times that field sobriety tests were voluntary and that she could decline them.
Perez, who repeatedly said she was confused and wanted to go home first, declined the tests. The officer then told her she would not be going home and instructed her to turn around and put her hands behind her back.
“Oh no, wait. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. One second,” she said as she was handcuffed.
Throughout the arrest, Perez said she did not understand what was happening. When the officer explained she was under arrest for DUI, she said she did not know what the acronym meant and continued to repeat that she did not understand. At one point, she asked God for help in Spanish.
A Curious Exchange Inside the Patrol Car
Once inside the squad car, Perez made an unusual comment to the officer: “I think what I assume tonight is that you did not experience domestic violence in your life.”
“What makes you think that?” the officer asked.
“I choose gratitude in my life,” Perez replied.
When the officer asked if there was anything else she wanted to share, Perez responded, “Anything that you are requesting to be shared right now would be under duress.”
The footage then shows her sobbing in the back of the vehicle and repeatedly asking, “Can you please help me?” Upon arriving at the station, she told authorities she did not know how to get out of the car.
Perez was booked into Pierce County Corrections on the morning of August 11 on a DUI charge.
Political Context
The arrest adds a turbulent chapter to a campaign that had already advanced past the primary stage. Perez won the Democratic nomination for the 29th Legislative District seat, a position that covers parts of Tacoma and surrounding areas. The district leans Democratic, making the general election a key battleground for state House control.
The incident is not the first time a candidate’s personal conduct has become a campaign issue in Washington state politics. DUI arrests have derailed campaigns across the country, and the release of body camera footage often amplifies the political fallout.
Breitbart News reporter Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask contributed to this report.
Source: www.breitbart.com β https://www.breitbart.com/pre-viral/2026/09/17/watch-washington-state-democrat-candidate-has-a-meltdown-in-patrol-car-after-dui-arrest/