Man charged in deadly Tacoma wreck. Marijuana impairment alleged
A Tacoma man is accused of driving impaired before causing a crash Tuesday that left another man dead.
Prosecutors charged Cristian Rodriguez-Ramirez, 22, with vehicular homicide and reckless driving for the incident that occurred on Yakima Avenue and South 23rd Street, according to court records.
Timothy Mack, 69 of Tacoma, was killed. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s public portal says he died from multiple blunt-force injuries due to an accident.
A plea of not guilty was entered on Rodriguez-Ramirez’s behalf during his arraignment Thursday afternoon. Pierce County Superior Court Commissioner Barbara McInvaille set bail at $75,000, records show. The minutes from the proceeding show prosecutors requested a $250,000 bail.
Details from charging documents
Rodriguez-Ramirez was driving a Ford Ranger truck east on South 23rd Street when he struck a black BMW sedan that was trying to make a left turn at around 8:06 p.m. Witnesses allege Rodriguez-Ramirez was driving in and out of traffic at high speed, according to charging documents.
The BMW had extensive damage on the driver’s side, documents show. Tacoma Fire Department personnel extricated Mack from the sedan. He was unconscious and did not appear to have a pulse.
Mack was taken to St. Joseph’s Medical Center where he died, court documents show.
Rodriguez-Ramirez’s Ford had significant damage to the front. Police found him sitting on the curb with a puppy on his lap. Documents show a man approached police and said Rodriguez-Ramirez was driving to meet him to show him a new dog.
Police said Rodriguez-Ramirez had blood on his clothes and hands. His eyes were allegedly bloodshot and watery.
Rodriguez-Ramirez told police he was going to a friend’s house and did not see any cars coming down the eastbound portion of the hill. When he saw a car pulling out as he got close to the intersection, he said he could not stop but tried to. Documents show he described his vehicle sliding forward, and he believed he was driving 35 to 40 miles per hour before he began to brake.
Detectives allege Rodriguez-Ramirez was under the influence of marijuana. During his voluntary field sobriety test, he allegedly said he recently smoked marijuana. Detectives observed Rodriguez-Ramirez having body tremors in his legs during the test. His steps were also allegedly slow and deliberate, according to court documents.
Rodriguez-Ramirez was taken to a hospital for medical clearance before he was booked into the Pierce County Jail.
Court records show Rodriguez-Ramirez does not have any prior convictions.
