Man says he drank 12-pack night before killing teen in Tacoma hit-and-run, charges say
A man accused of striking and killing a teenager with his truck Sunday in a hit-and-run collision in Tacoma has been charged.
Kalolo Petelo, 32, was charged Monday in Pierce County Superior Court with vehicular homicide, failure to remain at an accident resulting in death, third-degree driving with a suspended license and failure to have an ignition interlock.
He pleaded not guilty at arraignment, and bail was set at $500,000.
Petelo is charged in the death of 18-year-old Matthew McIntire, who police said was walking about 5:45 a.m. near the area of East 44th Street and Portland Avenue when he was struck by a vehicle. He died at the scene.
A witness helped police identify the suspected driver by following a truck he saw leaving the scene and getting its license plate number.
Police found Petelo Sunday morning at the Tacoma address the vehicle was registered to. When police spoke to him, they noted he smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot, according to the declaration for determination of probable cause.
Prosecutors wrote in charging documents that Petelo has two DUIs on his driving record and that his license was suspended.
Petelo told police he had been driving home from his parents house in Federal Way. He said he was on vacation from his job on a fishing boat.
Police asked him if he had been drinking, and Petelo said he drank a 12-pack of beer the night before at a hotel on South Hosmer Street, prosecutors wrote in charging documents. He said he stopped when he fell asleep around 9 p.m.
Charging documents gave this account:
Officers from Tacoma Police Department responded about 5:45 a.m. to the 4400 block of Portland Avenue for a vehicle-versus-pedestrian hit and run. According to probable cause statement, the first arriving officer found McIntire partially lying in the southbound lanes of the road.
The officer checked him for a pulse and found none. Fire and medical aid arrived shortly after and declared him dead.
A witness told police he was driving south on Portland Avenue when he saw a truck driving in the lane next to him hit a man. He reported seeing a man in the street and said the truck appeared to slow down, but then sped up and hit him.
The witness got out to check on the teenager and called 911.
Another witness helped police identify the driver by following the truck from the scene and getting its license plate number. According to the probable cause statement, he was pulling out of a nearby parking lot when he saw a truck with front end damage driving off fast and decided to follow.
A records check showed the vehicle was registered to Petelo and his wife at an address on East B Street, according to the probable cause statement. There, police found a gray Ford F150 with substantial damage to the hood.
A TPD officer talked with Petelo that morning and noted he smelled strongly of alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot, according to the probable cause statement. Police asked him about the collision, and he admitted that he thought he hit something on Portland Avenue.
Petelo told police he was returning home from his parents house in Federal Way. He said someone crossed the road “like out of nowhere.”
Police asked Petelo if he had been drinking. He responded “a little,” and said he’d been drinking the night before at a hotel in the 7400 block of South Hosmer Street but stopped around 9 p.m.
After police arrested Petelo, a records check showed the man’s license was suspended and that he was required to have an ignition interlocking device installed in his vehicle, prosecutors wrote in the charging document. No ignition lock was found in Petelo’s truck.
Prosecutors wrote that Petelo also has two DUIs on his driving record. A blood draw was taken from Petelo at the hospital at about 9 a.m. Results from the blood tests are pending.
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 11:59 AM.
