Arrest made in hit-and-run that killed 81-year-old man in White Center

Detectives’ painstaking work of combing through evidence led to an arrest in a hit-and-run that killed a man in White Center last month.

The 81-year-old victim, Thomas Joseph Garrett, also known as “Tommy Joe,” was killed when he was hit by an SUV at the intersection of 15th Avenue and Roxbury Street on April 22. The driver did not stop.

Surveillance video showed an SUV that King County Sheriff’s Office detectives identified to be a silver Jeep Compass.

Detectives spent the next few weeks speaking with people at businesses and homes in the area and reviewing surveillance video to trace the SUV’s route before and after the fatal collision.

Eventually, they were able see both the SUV’s license plate and the driver, a 37-year-old man.

The suspect was arrested during a traffic stop as he was leaving his Puyallup-area home on Thursday.

He was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of the fatal hit-and-run. Deputies said he later admitted that he moved the Jeep Compass that hit the man to Port Orchard, parked it at a family member’s home, and covered it with a tarp.

The Jeep has since been confiscated by deputies and brought back to King County to be processed for evidence.

Deputies are continuing to investigate.