Drive-by leaves two in hospital, one in jail

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake man is in Grant County Jail and two others are in the hospital following a shooting and high-speed chase Sunday afternoon.

Sergio Miguel Higuera, 20, was arrested on two counts of first-degree assault and one count of drive-by shooting, according to county records.

At about 4:35 p.m., law enforcement responded to reports that two vehicles were involved in a shooting on State Route 17 near Grape Drive, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Kyle Foreman. Witnesses reported that the driver of a black Dodge Charger, later identified as Higuera, had fired on a red Ford Focus, which crashed and rolled on its roof. Higuera continued northbound on SR 17, where a deputy spotted him and gave chase. The Charger reached speeds of about 120 miles per hour during the pursuit, then pulled over in the area of SR 17 and Northlake Road Northeast, where Higuera was taken into custody.

The registered owner of the Focus, 18-year-old Dominick D. Hernandez of Moses Lake, suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He was on life support Monday afternoon and not expected to survive, Foreman said.

The other occupant of the Focus, 18-year-old Justin I. Walton, was shot in the shoulder. He was transported to Samaritan Hospital and later airlifted to Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, according to court records. He underwent surgery there and was transferred to the intensive care unit.

According to court documents, Higuera is a member of the South Side Locos gang. He told officers he was on his way to a friend’s house in the Larson area when he encountered the Focus driving below the speed limit in the left lane of SR 17. Higuera said he tailgated the Focus until it pulled into the right lane, at which time he said he saw the driver flash a handgun. Fearing that the occupants would follow and shoot him, Higuera said, he took a Glock .40 caliber handgun out of a briefcase, aimed it at the other vehicle and fired between two and five shots in its direction. GCSO Deputy Brad Poldevart, one of the investigating officers, wrote in court documents that he found two gunshot defects in the driver’s side of the Focus.

It was not known whether either of the two victims had gang affiliations, Foreman said, nor whether any weapon had been found in the Focus. More information will be available once search warrants are obtained and the vehicles have been searched, he added.