Man charged in fiery Tacoma wreck that left 74-year-old woman dead
A Spanaway man has been charged in a fatal wreck that occurred late last month in Tacoma.
Prosecutors charged Loritana Auomanu, 20, in the Dec. 30 wreck with second-degree murder, vehicular homicide, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, reckless driving and minor in possession of or consuming liquor, court records show.
A plea of not guilty was entered on the behalf of Auomanu during his arraignment Friday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $150,000, records show.
Information about the wreck
A Washington State Patrol trooper reportedly was following a Toyota Corolla on state Route 7 at about 9:15 p.m. The Toyota had been veering into different lanes and drove onto the turn lane lines multiple times, according to the trooper. The Toyota eventually stopped at a red light on South 72nd Street, and the trooper went to his vehicle. He allegedly noted the odor of intoxicants coming from the driver, according to charging documents.
The driver allegedly had bloodshot and watery eyes, documents show. When the trooper asked for the man’s driver’s license, he said he did not have it. The driver allegedly drove off when the trooper told him to stop the car, documents show. The driver was later identified as Auomanu.
The trooper got back into his patrol car to give chase but eventually deactivated his emergency lights. The trooper wrote in his report he continued driving east on South 72nd Street and saw a large cloud of smoke. The Toyota’s driver had struck a Nissan Murano, documents show. The Toyota was on fire.
According to charging documents, Auomanu was seriously injured and had to be extricated from the vehicle. The driver of the Nissan was unresponsive, and a trooper noted her heartbeat was faint. The woman was taken to a Tacoma hospital where she later died.
The woman was identified as 74-year-old Gayle Horner of Auburn, according to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office. Her cause of death was multiple blunt-force injuries. Her manner of death was ruled an accident.
Documents show Auomanu was taken to Tacoma General Hospital for his injuries. Multiple open containers of alcohol were allegedly on the floorboard of his vehicle.
Tacoma Police Department personnel took over the investigation and completed it, documents show.
Auomanu has no previous criminal convictions, according to court records.
