Suspect in Seattle fatal hit and run of bicyclist is illegal alien

KIRO - Seattle ^ | June 8, 2012 | Brandi Kruse

[kevcol]

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has requested a retainer on the man arrested in the July 2011 fatal hit and run of a bicyclist in Seattle.

Erlin Garcia Reyes, 28, of Normandy Park, was arrested for felony hit and run on Wednesday.

ICE officials have confirmed to 97.3 KIRO-FM that Garcia-Reyes is in the country illegally.

Police believe Reyes was the driver of an SUV that fatally struck and killed 44-year-old Michael Wang on July 28, 2011. The SUV hit Wang as the driver made a left turn on Dexter Ave. North in South Lake Union. The suspect fled the scene.

Police released few details during a news conference Thursday, at which they announced the arrest but declined to say what had lead them to Garcia-Reyes nearly a year after the alleged crime.

According to court documents, Garcia-Reyes confessed to the crime when confronted by detectives and led them to the spot where the accident occurred.

A spokesperson for the Seattle division of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Friday that they have requested Reyes be transferred into their custody once released from the King County Jail.

The spokesperson said that any local, criminal case against Garcia-Reyes will take precedent over deportation proceedings.

"Having a criminal conviction ... a felony or egregious felony, does weigh heavily on our decision," said an ICE spokesperson. "ICE priorities are to remove illegal aliens, especially those who have proven to be a danger to public safety."

According to the Seattle Times, Garcia-Reyes in a native of Honduras and has been in the U.S. for five years.

Wang, a married father of two, was an avid bicyclist and photographer for PATH, a global health non-profit. He had commuted by bike from South Lake Union to his home in Shoreline and back for years.

[kevcol]

Sanctuary city is a term given to a city in the United States that follows certain practices that protect illegal immigrants. These practices can be by law (de jure) or they can be by habit (de facto). The term generally applies to cities that do not allow municipal funds or resources to be used to enforce federal immigration laws, usually by not allowing police or municipal employees to inquire about one's immigration status. The designation has no legal meaning.

Some of the 31 American cities are Washington, D.C.; New York City (see also Illegal immigration in New York City); Los Angeles; Chicago; San Francisco; Santa Ana; San Diego; San Jose; Salt Lake City; Dallas; Houston; Austin; Detroit; Jersey City; Minneapolis; Miami; Denver; Baltimore; Seattle; Portland; New Haven; Somerville, Cambridge and Portland, Maine. These cities have adopted "sanctuary" ordinances banning city employees and police officers from asking people about their immigration status

[Chode]

now sue the sanctuary city for being complicit in the accident...

[Don Corleone]

“Ms. Napolitano....call your office...if you still have one!”

[DariusBane]

Yesterday the story was an illegal who ran over a cop. That perp got 55 years in jail. How much you want to bet this guy will get 8-10 years for running down a non-cop. In both of these cases it was an accident. We shall see who gets more time. (we already know). Non gubment types are less valuable than gubment types.

[Carriage Hill]

That pic doesn’t look PhotoShopped...

[kevcol]

I wish it was, but it's not.

Pictured: Shocking moment drunk driver [Juan Campos] ploughs into group of cyclists

[mikefive]

I was thinking the same thing. Every time an illegal commits a crime in a sanctuary city, sue the city. Eventually the cities will realize it’s cheaper to deport them. That and cut off all federal funding unless they enforce the law.

[Grampa Dave]

The joy of living or visiting a Sanctuary City, loaded with criminal illegals.

The drunk driving list each month in our county often sounds like a roll call in a Mexican slum re the names.

[Bernard]

Don't sue the city; sue the public officials who made the decision. Seize their pensions and live like kings. Don't punish the taxpayers, blame the decision-makers. Stand outside their houses and demand reparations. Embarrass their spouses and children.

[machogirl]

In Phoenix, about a week ago, a drunk, wrong-way driver hit and killed a 17 year-old local high school student. By every account she was a great kid. A week has gone by and finally a story comes out in the media (which the other media is hiding), that the once unidentified man is here ILLEGALLY. The father of the victim, says it best. (Listening John McCain? Nappy)

“Every politician and person who has ignored the importance of securing our border with Mexico shares the blame in our daughter’s death.”

http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_phoenix_metro/central_phoenix/suspect-in-fatal-phoenix-crash-was-in-us-illegally

[USNBandit]

Might as well call Washington a sanctuary state. The department of licensing here makes no effort to stop illegals from getting licenses, a critical component for illegals to maneuver in and around the economy. Even if they are criminal deportees, illegals have so little fear in Washington state that they routinely use their real names to get the licenses. I’m sure they sign up to vote at the same time thanks to Motor Voter.

[Chode]

damn straight!

[Carriage Hill]

O.M.G. How any of them survived it, I can’t imagine.

[Fred Hayek]

This is almost like when Mary Jane Reoach was killed at White Rock Lake in Dallas in 1993. She was a world class cyclist and a cycling coach. She was killed by some punk who was here illegally, and then the punk hightailed it back to Mexico. A posse was being considered to go hunt him down.

[BLOC77]

That statement along with a picture of Olivia should be sent to Sen. McCain’s office. Remember when he was running around saying “build the dang fence.” Since his re-election, crickets re: the border.

[kevcol]

I encourage you to post that as a stand alone article on FR machogirl. While these stories are eventually “unindexed” by the news sites that post them, FR is a site where they will remain...and pop up on web searches done...and get picked up by other sites...and be accessible when needed by decision makers considering immigration laws.

[bobo1]

Hey, they should be allowed here. They will vote for rats.

who cares about the consequences.

That’s why rats do not want voter ID, want no accountability or nothing.

crook county cheated in kennedy’s election, lbj was call landslide lyndon due to the cheating in texas, and almost every sham has been from the rat party.

give them a break. they are liars, crooks, pedophiles, queers, et. al.

The hate logic.

Blessings, bobo

[cardinal4]

Something is fishy, I have seen that pic over a year ago as one of those “inspirational” posters with the caption, “my way, get the f*ck out of it”..

[cardinal4]

Sorry, the link is dated today, but the story is from 4 years ago. My mistake..

[machogirl]

I agree.