Suspect Arrested For Hit-And-Run That Killed 12-Year-Old Girl

MIDLAND, WA — Law enforcement agents have arrested a suspect for the hit-and-run crash that killed a young girl in Midland earlier this month.

According to deputies, back on Saturday, Jan. 15, two 12-year-old girls were walking along 104th Street near the intersection with 24th Avenue E in Midland, when they were hit by a white flatbed pickup truck.

One of the girls was killed, and the other was critically injured. Instead of stopping to help, the pickup driver took off, and ultimately abandoned the vehicle nearby.

Pierce County Sheriff's Department investigators quickly determined the truck had been stolen, and linked it to a recent crime in the area.

"Our Traffic Investigators, Detectives and many other Deputies worked tirelessly on this case and were able to get enough evidence to tie the suspect to the burglary of a business where the truck was stolen, as well as identifying him as the driver of the truck at the time of the homicide," the department wrote.

Deputies then put out a call for a "person of interest", asking the public for help identifying a man who had been seen leaving the stolen truck to visit the Shell gas station on Canyon Rd E on the morning of the crash.

That worked, deputies say, because community tips helped identify the suspect. At 5:43 Wednesday morning, the Pierce County SWAT team surrounded the suspect's home, and called for him to come out. He surrendered peacefully.

"This could not have been accomplished without the tips that came in from the community," the Sheriff's Department said. "We are so thankful for the great work by all those involved and we hope this can help the family gain some closure now that this person is in custody."

The suspect has since been booked into the Pierce County Jail, and will face charges of vehicular homicide, vehicular assault, felony hit-and-run death, hit-and-run injury, possession of stolen property, unlawful possession of a firearm, and burglary in the first degree.