Sheriff’s deputy chase ends in deadly crash on Highway 395 outside Tri-Cities

A Pasco woman died in a Franklin County Sheriff’s Office chase that ended in a crash Sunday afternoon on Highway 395.

The 2002 Hyundai Elantra was being pursued on Foster Wells Road westbound when it crossed onto Highway 395. It hit a semi truck southbound on the highway at 4:15 p.m., according to the Washington State Patrol.

The crash was about three miles north of the Interstate 182 interchange in Pasco.

Karli Moore, 23, died in the crash. She was a passenger in the Hyundai.

The driver of the car, Ricky G. Cruz, 28, of Pasco, was taken by life flight to Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane. He was in critical condition, according to the WSP.

Neither Moore nor Cruz was wearing a seatbelt.

The driver of the semi, Harold Matuterivera, 40, of Milton Freewater, Ore., was not injured.

The crash remains under investigation by state troopers.

No information was immediately available on why the sheriff’s deputy was trying to pull over the car.

Initial reports that the car was being chased north on Highway 395 when it crashed were clarified by the WSP.

This story was originally published May 10, 2021 at 9:31 AM.