Man accused of hitting, killing father with stolen truck in front of his young son has lengthy record: Docs
SEATAC, Wash. - King County prosecutors filed charges against a man accused of hitting another vehicle in a stolen truck and running off from the scene. The crash resulted in the death of a 42-year-old father and it put his 5-year-old son in the hospital with multiple skull fractures that required surgery.
The incident occurred on Feb. 25. Investigators say 32-year-old Pedro Garcia slammed into the car driven by 42-year-old Oscar Morales Saucedo near the corner of S 128th Street and 22nd Ave S in SeaTac.
Prosecutors say Garcia took off on foot, leaving behind a sawed off shotgun that was recovered at the scene.
The father and son were taken to Harborview Medical Center. The father later died from his injuries.
What followed was intense and diligent work to identify the suspect as Garcia and then to track him down. He first fled to the Spanaway area where he borrowed a white Toyota Corolla. Then, detectives learned he was heading south in Thurston County.
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SeaTac hit-and-run crash leaves man dead, child injured; suspect taken into custody
A man suspected of driving a stolen vehicle and slamming it into another car, killing one man and seriously hurting a child in SeaTac, is now in custody.
A Lewis County trooper located the Corolla parked in the southbound I-5 Maytown Rest Area with the suspect inside sleeping. A coordinated effort between WSP, Thurston County Sheriff’s Office, and Centralia PD (including Centralia K9), resulted in the suspect being taken into custody without incident.
KCSO detectives later arrived on scene and took Garcia into custody.
Court documents say he told detectives that he was the driver of the stolen Dodge and did not mean to cut the man's life short in SeaTac. He said he did not remember much because it all happened so fast.
He had no intention of surrendering despite being urged to do so by his ex-girlfriend and family.
Garcia's ex-girlfriend encouraged him to turn himself in after she found out about the incident. He had two of her dogs in the back of the stolen truck, both of whom were hurt during the crash. She’s set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds.
One of the dogs has since undergone surgery and was released.
The suspect was also arrested last October for reckless driving and eluding an officer. Court documents say Garcia drove toward officers in Burien on Oct. 18 and almost hit a woman and her dog. He crashed into the front driver's side of a patrol vehicle, an apartment complex dumpster and wood fencing.
Deputies say he continued to evade police, hitting multiple marked and unmarked police vehicles. When the wheels on the van went flat, he took off on foot. Officers arrested him and found a baggie of meth. He had two active warrants for his arrest.
After his arrest last October, Pedro Garcia was ordered to report to the Pretrial Assessment and Linkage Services program (PALS) on Nov. 9 for intake. The goal of PALS is to change behaviors. He was ordered to obtain SUD (Substance Use Disorder) treatment. On Jan. 2, a Notice of Violation was submitted for failing to obtain the recommended treatment. On 1/24/2024, Garcia was reinstated to the PALS Program by court order.
Pedro Garcia is currently being held in the King County jail on $550,000 bail charged with Vehicular Homicide, Vehicular Assault and Felony Hit and Run.
He was required to report to the PALS program by telephone by 9 a.m. on the day after his release from custody and report thereafter to ongoing services in the community. Since that date, Garcia has failed to report to or make contact with the PAL Community Center for Alternative Programs.
A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.
Garcia has had felony convictions for unlawful possession of a firearm and taking a motor vehicle without permission. He has seven misdemeanor convictions for vehicle prowl and one for violating a no contact order.
In court on Wednesday, he pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During his lifetime, he has had 21 warrants for his arrest. He has felony convictions in Texas as well.