(The Center Square) – A Washington State Patrol trooper who was struck and killed by a motor vehicle one week ago will be laid to rest Saturday in an intimate family-focused service in Tacoma.
“Fallen Trooper Tara-Marysa Guting – Badge #720, will be given “appropriate law enforcement honors on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, at Life Center Central Campus located at 1717 S. Union Ave, Tacoma, WA 98405,” according to a WSP news release.
Guting is the 34th state trooper killed in the line of duty in the agency’s 105-year history.
The service will not include a law enforcement processional, but rather “focus on being surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues.”
WSO Director of Public Affair Chris Loftis told The Center Square that in the month of December, the agency has had 11 incidents involving troopers or patrol vehicles being hit, with seven in the last week alone, including a Christmas morning incident involving a man seen on video shoving a WSP lieutenant to the ground and stealing her patrol vehicle. The suspect was later apprehended in Lynnwood.
“Ranging from minor fender benders to Trooper Guting’s death,” Loftis told The Center Square in an email, noting he was unsure how the period compares to previous Decembers, but added that “it’s quite high overall.”
Recent flooding and road damage have played into some of those incidents.
“[It’s a] Unique combination of high volumes due to holidays, to bad weather across the entire state, to significant road damage and closures due to storms and flooding,” Loftis noted.
Guting, 29, was struck and killed on Dec. 19 by a driver while investigating a collision along State Route 509.
Two days later, a state trooper who was trying to help clear a disabled vehicle that was blocking the road on westbound State Rout 512 near Canyon Road was hit by a vehicle. His injuries were non-life threatening.
Other recent incidents include an elderly driver slamming into the back of a trooper’s SUV in Kittitas County and a pickup truck driver suspected of texting while driving and hitting a trooper’s vehicle in Lakewood.
The officers in both of those incidents sustained minor injuries.
“People need to slow down, pay attention, buckle up, and never drive impaired,” Loftis recommended. “When you see flashing lights, slow down or move over if possible. Everybody deserves to go home safely tonight.”
Saturday’s service Guting will be live streamed by TVW at: https://www.tvw.org/watch/?clientID=9375922947&eventID=2025121187.
