Trooper Tony Vian Radulescu, 44, was shot and killed during a traffic stop on State Route 16 in Gorst, Washington, in the pre-dawn hours of February 23, 2012. A 16-year veteran of the Washington State Patrol, Radulescu radioed in the location and plate of the pickup he had stopped shortly before 1:00 a.m. and was later found wounded near his patrol car; he was pronounced dead at a Tacoma medical center from a gunshot wound.

Investigators identified 28-year-old convicted felon Joshua Jearl Blake as the suspect. The pickup was found abandoned a few hours after the shooting. Blake was found hiding later that day in a Port Orchard residence; as a SWAT team approached he took his own life. Authorities concluded Blake shot Radulescu as the trooper approached the passenger side of the truck.

Several people were arrested afterward for assisting Blake. His ex-girlfriend was accused of actively trying to help him flee, and a female passenger in the truck was later sentenced to one year in prison on charges related to the incident. Others were convicted for rendering criminal assistance or lying to investigators. The motive for the traffic stop was not clear; Radulescu had no dashboard camera and was not wearing a body camera.