See classic cars at Point Ruston on Sunday? They’re honoring slain Tacoma man
Samuel Garza Gonzalez was just a toddler when he first gripped the wheel of a 1975 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. With his feet on the driver’s seat, he peered over the dashboard and flashed a toothless smile.
That moment, and his father’s love for cars, fueled a passion for classic automobiles that stayed with him through his short life.
Garza Gonzalez, who went by Sammy, was 24 years old when he was killed in May 2022 in a drive-by shooting in Tacoma. Out of that tragedy, his mother, Elisa Gonzalez, created Unidas Por Vida, an all-women car club that helps families who have lost a loved one to homicide.
This Sunday afternoon, June 15, a free car show gathering classic rides and lowriders outside the Point Ruston Public Market near Tacoma will raise money for victims of homicide. Attendees can expect music, a prize raffle, food vendors and dozens of cars. Unidas Por Vida is putting on the event with Taco Street, a fixture at the market known for – you guessed it – tacos.
Unidas Por Vida is Spanish for “united for life.” Gonzalez said the club’s message is about unity and peace. Her son had an associate’s degree in mechanics, and aside from working on cars, he loved driving on the waterfront.
“He liked to cruise all day,” Gonzalez said.
Years after Garza Gonzalez first got behind the wheel of a car, he got his own from his father when he graduated from high school. The gift didn’t last long.
“The first thing the dumbo did was crash it,” Gonzalez said. “Then he did everything in his power to find one similar.”
The car he found was a 1983 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Brougham. Garza Gonzalez took time to restore it, and Gonzalez said it became her son’s favorite car because of its connection to his father. On a recent Thursday, Gonzalez sat in its driver’s seat outside her Tacoma home, with a dog tag bearing her son’s name hanging from the rearview mirror.
Garza Gonzalez was in an SUV with his wife, cousin and two toddlers driving in Tacoma on the night of his death. After they got back from Olympia, where they’d gone to watch a boxing match, the group tried to visit a relative in Tacoma’s Eastside neighborhood. They weren’t home, and instead the group went to a scenic viewpoint.
They soon found themselves driving behind a white pickup truck. Unbeknownst to them, the vehicle was occupied by four gang members. The pickup stopped on East 35th Street, where two of the men got out and fired at least 22 bullets at the SUV. Garza Gonzalez was hit in the neck, and he died after being taken to Tacoma General Hospital. No one else in the SUV was struck.
The shooting came during the worst year for homicides in Tacoma since at least 1980, as far back as the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs’ crime records go on its website. There were 45 killings in Tacoma in 2022, and according to The News Tribune’s homicide records, all but one of the victims died of gunshot wounds. Since then, yearly homicide rates have steadily declined.
Unidas Por Vida also supports the families of victims of vehicular homicide. The club’s vice president, Jane Garza, lost her daughter in a fatal car crash in August 2020. The girl, Giselle Soto, was 16 years old. Garza said Soto went shopping with her boyfriend in the middle of the day, and the collision occurred on their way home on Pacific Avenue.
“It happened two blocks from my house — they were home already,” Garza said.
The death of Garza Gonzalez devastated his mother, and she struggled to find resources that could help her. Starting a car club fulfilled a dream for her son that he never saw to fruition, but it’s also allowed her to help families going through the same hardships she faced because of gun violence.
“We just want to be able to support other families in their time of need,” Gonzalez said.
At their second-annual car show last year on South 19th Street in Fircrest, Unidas Por Vida raised $5,000. The group has used funds to give families care packages filled with things like groceries from Costco or takeout from a restaurant.
The club’s mission statement is “cruising for a cause.” Gonzalez said it was born out of the frustration she felt when authorities told her that her son had no business being out at night driving with children in the car when they were shot at. She said her family comes from a Hispanic community where cars are part of the culture and going for a drive is a way to enjoy a nice evening.
Garza Gonzalez was working on fixing up his own 1975 Monte Carlo before he was killed. His mother then took on the job. She said he wanted it to be themed after the Las Vegas Raiders NFL team. Gonzalez had hoped to have it ready for Sunday’s car show, but she’s had trouble finding someone with the experience to repaint it.
“I knew exactly what he wanted with it, so I’m rolling with it,” Gonzalez said.
If you go
Event: Cruisin’ Together, Lowriders & Legends
Address: 5101 Yacht Club Road, Tacoma
Hours: Noon to 6 p.m.
Admission: Free for attendees. Car entry pre-registration is $25. Registration at the door is $35.
Instagram: unidas_porvida
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 11:25 AM.
