Man was under the influence in crash that left 1 dead in Tacoma, charges say
A Georgia man is accused of driving under the influence and causing a crash that left a 20-year-old Ohio man dead in Tacoma on Sunday.
Prosecutors charged Sebastian Aguilar, 21, with vehicular homicide. Vehicular assault, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and other charges might be added, pending the investigation, according to the probable cause affidavit.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Aguilar’s behalf during his arraignment Tuesday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $350,000, court records show.
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as Marco Antonio Serrano Stevens. Stevens died from blunt force injury of head, and his manner of death was listed as an accident, the office wrote in its public portal.
Details of the incident from charging documents
State Patrol troopers were dispatched at 3:38 a.m. for the single-car rollover crash that occurred on state Route 16 near Pearl Street in Tacoma, according to charging documents. One person was reportedly unconscious and later pronounced dead at the scene.
Documents show a black Jeep was on its side and four people, including the person who was unconscious, were out of the vehicle. The two passengers who were conscious were taken to a hospital for non-serious injuries. They both were wearing seatbelts while documents show Stevens was not.
Aguilar appeared distraught and made comments about his alleged driving, according to court documents.
Troopers learned Aguilar was driving west on the highway and struck a barrier while going through a curve. The impact caused the Jeep to rollover, documents show. When Aguilar was asked what happened, he said he was driving 60 to 63 miles-per-hour and overcorrected the jeep, which caused it to strike the barrier.
Troopers noted traffic was light, and the roadway was dry.
Aguilar said he was driving from a Seattle club back home, and allegedly had one drink, documents show. A trooper allegedly smelled an odor of intoxicants coming from Aguilar’s breath. They noted his eyes were bloodshot and watery.
Documents show Aguilar submitted to a voluntary breath test, and his preliminary result allegedly was 0.082 percent. The legal blood-alcohol concentration in the state is 0.08 percent. Troopers determined Aguilar was under the influence of alcohol, and he was placed under arrest. Aguilar was taken to the MultiCare Allenmore Hospital for a medical evaluation, documents show.
Aguilar is an active-duty U.S. Navy member, according to prosecutors. He does not have ties to Washington other than the military.
Prosecutors wrote Aguilar does not have any criminal history.
This story was originally published February 18, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
