Bail set in fatal hit-and-run

P-I STAFF

Bail was set at $250,000 Friday for a Tukwila man suspected of running over and killing a pedestrian and leaving the scene of the accident.

The suspect, 29, made his first appearance at the Norm Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent, where he remained in custody. He could face charges of vehicular homicide. Prosecutors have until Monday to make a charging decision, spokesman Dan Donohoe said.

Deputies were called around 11:30 p.m. Thursday after someone reported a body in the road in the 9700 block of Des Moines Memorial Drive, near Boulevard Park. Witnesses said the victim, identified as Albi Mendez-Perez, 22, of Renton, had been struck at least twice by a minivan that sped off, court documents say.

Earlier, the suspect and Mendez-Perez were spotted fighting at nearby Rascal's Casino. They were told to leave and continued fighting in the parking lot. Deputies were called about the fighting but were unable to find either man at the casino.

Security guards recorded the suspect's license plate, which deputies used to track him down after they suspected the victim was one of the two men fighting.