The driver in the 2025 hit-and-run that killed Richard John “Ole” Ward in Ballard has been sentenced to 41 months in prison.
David Arellano-Tapia, now 20, pleaded guilty to felony hit-and-run earlier this month. Prosecutors and the defense recommended a 31-month sentence, but the judge imposed 41 months.
Ward, 39, was crossing at NW Market St and 15th Ave NW around 1:20 a.m. on Feb. 1, 2025, when a driver in a pickup truck struck him and left the scene. People stopped to help Ward before medics took him to Harborview Medical Center, where he died from his injuries.
The search for the driver lasted months. In March 2025, Ward’s family offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the driver’s identification. Seattle police released footage of the suspected truck, while the family worked with a private investigator and Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound to seek tips.
Police later said the investigation led them to an Auburn body shop. According to police, Arellano-Tapia had brought his truck there for repairs and told employees he had hit a pole. Employees recognized the truck by a missing “G” on its front grille and contacted police. Investigators seized the truck and Arellano-Tapia’s phone when he returned to the shop on April 4.
Arellano-Tapia was charged in November 2025. He was 18 at the time of the crash and initially pleaded not guilty to the felony hit-and-run charge.
Photo: SPD
