Driver remains under investigation in Pacific Highway death

Published 12:15 pm Thursday, August 16, 2018

A 21-year-old Federal Way man remains under investigation for vehicular homicide in the death of a 70-year-old Federal Way man July 25 on Pacific Highway S. in Kent.

“He was booked and released,” said Kent Police spokeswoman Melanie Robinson in an email Aug. 9. “The case is still under investigation. He has not yet been officially charged.”

Benito Castillo Rojas was walking south on a sidewalk at 5:16 p.m. in the 27000 block of Pacific Highway S. when he was hit by a speeding vehicle, according to police. Paramedics transported Rojas to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died from his injuries.

The driver of the vehicle reportedly was seen speeding and weaving in and out of traffic on southbound Pacific Highway South near the S. 272nd Street intersection. As the vehicle attempted to avoid colliding with another vehicle, it swerved toward the sidewalk, striking the man, police said. The vehicle then struck a tree, flipped, landed on the trunk of another vehicle and came to rest on its side.

The driver suffered minor injuries. A passenger was taken to a hospital. No information on the passenger’s condition was available.