Pedestrian dies after alleged July 4 hit and run on Capitol Boulevard, Tumwater police say

Tumwater police have not made an arrest in an alleged July 4 hit and run case that led to the death of a pedestrian.

In a Tuesday Facebook post, Tumwater police asked the public for help finding the driver of a truck that allegedly struck a pedestrian on the 6100 block of Capitol Boulevard South.

Officers contacted the owner of the car later that day after receiving tips from the public, according to an update on the post. However, Lt. Jen Kolb told The Olympian on Wednesday that Tumwater police have not arrested the owner because the incident is still being investigated.

“We haven’t determined what direction we’re going to take at this point, but they are the person that we were searching for,” Kolb said.

The crash occurred at about 10:30 p.m. July 4 as the driver of a Toyota truck pulled onto Capitol Boulevard. Kolb said police obtained video footage that showed the driver struck a 62-year-old Tumwater woman and continued driving.

Kolb said the owner of the car told police they did not realize they had struck a pedestrian.

Police did not know what caused the woman’s injuries when she was initially found, Kolb said. It was only after police reviewed video from a nearby business that that they determined she had been struck by a vehicle, she said.

First responders transported the woman to Providence St. Peter Hospital to be treated for “serious injuries,” but Kolb said she died several days later. Police could not interview her because she was unconscious until her death, she added.

The Olympian has asked the Thurston County Coroner’s Office to identify the woman and her cause of death.