Update: Kennewick driver didn’t slow before hitting Pasco pedestrian, say police
A 42-year-old pedestrian was killed in a crosswalk by a driver who allegedly didn’t slow or try to avoid him on a downtown Pasco street.
Lorenzo Ayohua-Ramos was thrown into the air by the impact of the crash about 9 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at Clark Street and Sixth Avenue.
The man behind the wheel, Daniel Gonzalez-Salaz of Kennewick allegedly kept driving, leaving Ayohua-Ramos dying in the street, said court documents filed in Franklin County Superior Court.
Security video and statements from witnesses led police to identify Gonzalez-Salaz, 43, and he was arrested at his Franklin County job site on Tuesday.
Now, he’s being held in lieu of $250,000 bail on suspicion of vehicular homicide, jail records show.
The security video from a nearby church showed a light-colored sedan heading west on Clark Avenue as Ayohua-Ramos was crossing the four-lane street in the crosswalk, said the documents.
Traffic on Clark Street does not have to stop at Sixth Avenue, but there are stop signs for drivers on Sixth.
Bystanders stepped in to help Ayohua-Ramos, and called 911. Officers and medics could not save him and he died at the scene.
Detectives used other security camera footage to track the driver toward 10th Avenue. When the sedan turned toward the cable bridge, police allegedly got a picture of the license plate, court documents said. The car was registered to Gonzalez-Salaz.
Investigators used other camera footage to track the car through Kennewick to within a few blocks of Gonzalez-Salaz’s Bruneau Place home.
A witness told investigators that his car showed up at the home with a busted windshield. The witness said the Camry disappeared after that, and Gonzalez-Salaz’s daughter had taken him to work.
He allegedly told his daughter that there had been an “incident,” but didn’t explain what happened, court documents said.
Investigators found the car was taken to a Lewis Street garage to be fixed. When they arrived, the owner denied the vehicle was at the shop.
Police obtained a search warrant and found the car inside with repairs underway. They also reported finding the busted windshield in a garbage can.
This story was originally published September 3, 2025 at 11:43 AM.