Man killed by hit-and-run driver on Lakewood overpass has been identified
A 53-year-old man struck by a hit-and-run driver on a freeway overpass in Lakewood has been identified.
David John Dietz, of Lakewood, was confronting a theft suspect on the Freedom Way overpass off Interstate 5 when he was killed, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
Dietz’s friend owned a convenience store and told him about a theft that occurred Nov. 9. Dietz and others agreed to help the store owner look for the theft suspect.
That day, Dietz spotted the suspect on the overpass so he and his girlfriend got out of his vehicle to confront the suspect.
“When the suspect tried to drive away, the victim was struck by the suspect’s older gold minivan before it fled the scene,” according to the Sheriff’s Department.
Dietz was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Investigators later arrested the hit-and-run suspect but he has not yet been charged.
This story was originally published November 18, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
