Man killed after being deliberately run over by car in Parkland has been identified
A man who was killed after being deliberately run over by a car in Parkland in July was identified Tuesday by the Pierce County medical examiner.
Tanielu Utu, 41, died July 24 of multiple blunt force injuries near the 10400 block of Ainsworth Avenue South, according to a news release from the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. The release did not include where Utu is from.
The office ruled Utu’s death a homicide. On Sunday, a 48-year-old man suspected of killing Utu was arrested in Cowlitz County while deputies investigated a residential burglary.
In July, deputies said an argument led to a man getting in his car and deliberately running over Utu. It’s not clear why the men were pulled over on the road or what they were arguing about.
After the confrontation, “one of the guys got in his car, drove it to the road, did a bunch of donuts, came back around and veered right at the other guy,” Pierce County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Sgt. Darren Moss said in July.
The man drove away after hitting Utu.
This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 12:49 PM.
