Kennewick crash suspect not wanted for Pasco shooting — but faces his own troubles

Pasco police are still looking for a suspect who shot a man twice on Friday night.

It turns out it wasn’t the suspect they chased into Kennewick on Saturday, ending in a wild crash at a busy Highway 395 intersection.

Officers now believe Valentin D. Gomez, 30, fled when police tried to pull him over because he had several outstanding warrants, Pasco police said on Facebook. They said Monday he is not a suspect in the shooting.

Gomez remained hospitalized Monday in good condition at Trios Southridge Hospital, according to hospital officials.

He reportedly led officers on a high-speed chase across the blue bridge before he slammed into a SUV driven by a Kennewick woman. The collision closed lanes on Highway 395 at Yelm Street a little after 4 p.m.

The chase began when Pasco police said they spotted a man Saturday who looked like the man seen walking out of an apartment where a man was shot about 10 p.m. Friday night.

Dispatchers received several calls about gunshots on the 1500 block of West Yakima Street.

Officer Ben Boykin found a 27-year-old man there who had been shot twice in the torso, including one shot first through his arm, said police.

Boykin gave him emergency first aid and he was taken to a hospital, where he is expected to recover, said police.

Detectives later determined that Jaime Balderas, 26, of Pasco, was a suspect in the shooting and had reportedly left in a black car before police arrived.

Police are asking anyone who knows where he is to call dispatchers at 509-628-0333 or email Detective Corey Smith at smithc@pasco-wa.gov about case PP19-01015.

Police said they believe the shooting involved a personal dispute and the public is not in danger.

In the meantime, Gomez is facing new charges as a result of Saturday night’s crash.

Police stopped pursuing him to protect the public, but he continued into Kennewick at a high speed, weaving through traffic until his Volkswagen Jetta hit a Honda HR-V trying to cross Highway 395 at Yelm Street, said the Washington State Patrol.

The other driver, Maria T. Lujano, 48, was treated at Trios and later released.

Gomez’s passenger, Jasmine T. Uribe, 24, also was taken to Trios with minor injuries.

This story was originally published January 14, 2019 at 12:44 PM.