Man sentenced to prison for unlawful possession of a destructive device
Published 2:30 pm Tuesday, April 28, 2026
U.S. District Judge John H. Chun called a 42-year-old man’s dangerous actions during an incident in 2024 to have an “alarming disrespect for the law” and said the situation posed a risk to the community.
The episode, which included a slow speed chase and a tennis ball explosive and a lighter, began in Bellevue and ended on Interstate 90 at Mercer Island.
Chun sentenced King County resident Sokphana Soeung to 18 months in prison on April 27 in U.S. District Court in Seattle for unlawful possession of a destructive device, according to a U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington, press release.
Soeung confronted law enforcement while displaying the explosive powder-filled device with a fuse following the chase originating through Bellevue streets on Oct. 12, 2024, and concluding in a foot pursuit near I-90 and East Mercer Way, according to the attorney’s office, police reports and a previous Reporter article. Bellevue police officers eventually tackled Soeung and placed him under arrest.
Mercer Island Police Department officers assisted Bellevue Police Department’s crew during the incident, which shut down both directions of I-90 in the area until about 3 p.m. so a bomb squad could determine that the public and bridge were not in danger.
“Someone could have been badly hurt, including yourself,” Judge Chun told Soeung. While searching the car, law enforcement located a second explosive device made with sparklers taped together.
The incident also involved the deployment of spikes to puncture all four tires of Soeung’s vehicle and a PIT maneuver (precision immobilization technique) by Washington State Patrol troopers. According to the Reporter article, Soeung (who wasn’t named at the time) was taken into custody for possession of an explosive device, multiple counts of assault one, driving under the influence, possession of stolen vehicle and eluding law enforcement. The passenger, also a middle-aged male, was arrested for previously existing felony warrants.
Bellevue police responded to Enatai Beach Park at around noon on Oct. 12, 2024, after receiving reports of two men sleeping in a car with the motor running, according to court records. Soeung drove away after police contacted him and ran over the spike strips as the chase continued.
Prosecutors asked for a two-year prison sentence because of Soeung’s lengthy criminal history driven by drug addiction, reads the press release: “Fleeing from law enforcement on a major interstate brimming with unsuspecting drivers in stolen car while high on fentanyl is concerning enough. Electing to flee on foot with a tennis ball ‘bomb’ and lighter in hand placed everyone present at risk of injury or worse, including the defendant.”
Bellevue Police Department, Washington State Patrol and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.
