Boy, 17, crashed after fleeing troopers in Tacoma. Now he’s charged with murder
A 17-year-old boy is accused of causing a wreck that left a girl dead while he attempted to flee from a state trooper on Sunday in Tacoma.
Prosecutors charged Malik Javan Jagana with second-degree murder, vehicular homicide, attempt to elude, unlawful possession of a stolen vehicle, unlawful possession of cannabis, reckless endangerment, reckless driving and third-degree driving while license suspended or revoked, court documents show.
The crash left Jagana and a backseat passenger injured.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Jagana’s behalf during his arraignment Tuesday at Pierce County Juvenile Court. He is being held at Remann Hall on a $1 million bail, according to the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Serenity Rose Upchurch, 17, was identified by the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office as the girl killed in the crash. She died from multiple blunt-force injuries, and her manner of death was listed as an accident, according to the office’s public information portal.
Information from charging documents
A state trooper had been pursuing a Hyundai that had been cutting off other drivers, driving recklessly and running red lights near Pacific Avenue at around 12:43 a.m., court records state. The trooper deactivated their emergency lights when the Hyundai slowed down and nearly struck another vehicle. The Hyundai went airborne striking the pavement and crashed soon after, according to charging documents.
Documents show the vehicle hit a power pole on the passenger side and that there was significant damage to the car.
The driver appeared to be in pain, and aid was requested for him. He forced his way out of the door, and a trooper ordered him on the ground, documents show. The front-seat passenger was lying across the driver’s seat and was unresponsive. There was a passenger in the backseat who was injured and not wearing a seatbelt.
The front-seat passenger was pronounced dead at the scene.
Documents state the vehicle “reeked” of intoxicants, and troopers determined Jagana was impaired. He allegedly had a gallon-size Ziploc bag of cannabis.
Tacoma police took over the investigation, according to charging documents.
Documents describe one of the surviving people in the vehicle asking police about Upchurch, saying, “Please don’t let her die sir.” He allegedly asked, “Did I kill her? Did I kill her or did you guys?” Fire personnel then arrived and treated him for his injuries.
Prosecutors wrote that Jagana told police at the hospital his half brother was seated behind him. He advised that he met “Serenity” on the bus and was just helping her out.
Jagana and the backseat passenger were taken to a local hospital for their injuries.
When Jagana was at the hospital , he allegedly made several comments, documents show. He allegedly said, “Damn I got hella charges huh, like three charges? I know I got murder two.” Jagana then asked if the crash was on the news.
Officers noted through a records check that Jagana was a convicted felon and had two driver’s license statuses. One status was he was not licensed, and the other was his license was suspended/revoked, documents show. Records also show Jagana was listed as a missing person on Jan. 14.
Jagana reportedly questioned police at the hospital about whether he was even in the car. He allegedly added that he was “too drunk to remember.”
According to charging documents, Jagana allegedly said he was never going to drink and drive again as he was black-out drunk. He also made comments about the vehicle he was driving allegedly being stolen.
Investigators noted in their report that Jagana did not grasp the gravity of his alleged actions. He complained about having to stay in the hospital without his cellphone several times, documents say. He also asked about bail and if he would be released on personal recognizance as he was on probation. Jagana also said he believed there was a no-chase policy, and he only drove over 100 miles-per-house after the trooper tried to pull him over.
Documents show that police did not ask Jagana any investigation-related questions.
