SEATTLE -- A crash into the patrol car of a Washington state trooper ended the life on the lam for a man wanted in the United Kingdom for allegedly trying to kill his wife.

According to investigators, Julio Martins-Paes fled from the law in February 2006, when he was suspected of stabbing his wife.

Martins-Paes relocated to the Seattle area, but his whereabouts were unknown to authorities until he got involved in a crash on Interstate 5 in SeaTac on Dec. 12.

A state trooper was parked on the right shoulder of the southbound lanes when a Toyota Corolla crossed several lanes of traffic and slammed into the back of the patrol car, officials said. The Corolla then spun back out into the road and hit another sedan.

The trooper was not seriously injured, but the driver, who was later charged with driving under the influence, was taken to the hospital.

It was during the investigation of the crash that Martins-Paes' true identity became known, U.S. marshals said.

"At the time that Martins-Paes was involved in the vehicle accident, an arrest warrant did not exist," said U.S. Marshal Joe Hawe. "After the accident was reported by the media, our fugitive investigators, working with (officials in) the United Kingdom, pieced together the information leading to his identity."

Martins-Paes was arrested this week at a home in Mountlake Terrace by the Pacific Northwest Fugitive Apprehension Task Force.

Little is known about his life in Western Washington.

The King County Sheriff's Office, the Seattle Police Department, the Washington state Department of Corrections, the U.S. Social Security administration and the U.S. Marshals Service aided in the investigation.