Person suspected of fatally shooting man on South Hill arrested following car chase
Pierce County sheriff’s deputies arrested a man suspected in a fatal shooting in South Hill earlier this month following a high-speed pursuit Monday, Sept. 18.
In a news release, Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said deputies arrested 18-year-old Antonio Hartman for the fatal shooting of Keylen Collins, 19 of Puyallup, during a robbery in the Lipoma Firs neighborhood. Collins’ body was found on a basketball court in the early morning of Sept. 3. His cause of death was multiple gunshot wounds.
Monday afternoon, Sept. 18, Special Investigations Unit deputies spotted Hartman driving a black Ford Fusion with stolen plates, according to the news release. Deputies followed Hartman in unmarked cars and waited until officers in patrol cars arrested him. When patrol cars caught up to Hartman’s car as he traveled east on 200th Street East at Canyon Road East in Frederickson, they turned on their lights but he allegedly sped away, the release said.
Deputies chased Hartman south onto Eustis Hunt Road, and he allegedly drove recklessly, passing cars and school buses.
Deputies caught up to Hartman when he struck the rear corner of an SUV and rear wheel of a dump truck trailer. Once Hartman’s car was stopped against a guardrail, officers got out of their cars and ordered Hartman and a passenger to surrender. In a video showing the arrest, officers announce to Hartman, “You are a suspect in a homicide. You are under arrest,”
The drivers of the other vehicles were not injured, the release said.
The passenger was Hartman’s 16-year-old girlfriend who was listed as a runaway. She was released to her parents, the release said.
After Hartman was evaluated for injuries at a hospital, he was booked into Pierce County Jail. Detectives allegedly found a fully loaded pistol with an extended magazine on the driver’s side. Another pistol was found in Hartman’s car.
Hartman faces two counts of first-degree murder, first-degree attempted robbery and first-degree unlawful possession of a firearm. Additional charges following the chase are being forwarded to prosecutors, the release said.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Hartman’s behalf and a $1.5 million bail was set at Pierce County Superior Court, the release said.
At around 3:21 a.m. on Sept. 3, multiple people reported to law enforcement that they heard gunshots followed by multiple vehicles leaving, according to a previous News Tribune article.
The article said that there were reports of a late-night party, followed by an argument and then the shooting. Deputies could not find anyone at the scene. Collins was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives believe the people at the party did not reside in the neighborhood.
According to the declaration for determination of probable cause, a witness told officers that she had been with the victim around the time the shooting occurred. She said that Hartman, who was described as “Reeze,” allegedly threatened to rob Collins. She heard the argument and allegedly saw Hartman firing a gun into the air before shooting Collins.
In the probable cause document, detectives said the spoke to other witnesses who confirmed that Hartman shot Collins.
According to charging documents, in October 2022 Hartman was convicted in juvenile court of robbery and unlawful possession of a firearm. He received a 12-month suspended sentence and was still on probation at the time of the shooting, the release said.
A GoFundMe was set up with over $10,000 raised to support Collins’ family with funeral expenses.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
