FORKS — Law enforcement continued to search Thursday for a Forks man who they said ran from a head-on collision in which he was involved on U.S. Highway 101 about 2 miles south of Forks on Wednesday.
“He has not been located as of yet, but the search does continue,” said Sgt. Brian King of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
King confirmed Thursday that the name of the man being sought is Joseph Angel Garza Jr., 24.
King said Garza is thought to be the man who was driving a red Honda when it collided Wednesday afternoon with a white Pontiac sedan driving south on Highway 101.
The driver and passenger of the Pontiac — Olympia-area residents Christopher Patterson, 31, and Arlene Casas, 37 — were taken to Forks Community Hospital by ambulance after the wreck and discharged following treatment for minor injuries, the State Patrol said.
The Honda pulled out of a private driveway onto the highway and collided with the Pontiac driven by Patterson without yielding to traffic, Trooper Russ Winger, State Patrol spokesman, has said.
Passengers ID driver
The four passengers in the Honda stayed in the car after the wreck and identified the driver, Winger said Wednesday.
None of the Honda’s passengers was thought to have been injured, he said.
Winger said Thursday the State Patrol had no new information on the search for the man.
King said the State Patrol is the lead agency on the investigation, though deputies and city police also are looking for Garza.
“He has outstanding warrants for his arrest, so the [Sheriff’s Office] is making a concerted effort to locate him and arrest him,” King said.
“We know residences he frequents, and deputies are actively checking those locations.”
‘Well-known’
Police Administrator Rick Bart said the man who fled from the wreck is well-known in the Forks community.
“He is not going to be able to hide,” Bart said Thursday.
King said the active warrants against Garza include a district court warrant related to providing false information to a law enforcement officer and a state Department of Corrections warrant for Garza reportedly violating probation.
Department of Corrections spokeswoman Norah West said Thursday the corrections arrest warrant stems from Garza failing to report to his community custody supervisor in Port Angeles.
“He failed to report to that office, at which point we issued a warrant for his arrest,” West said.
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Reporter Jeremy Schwartz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5074, or at jschwartz@peninsuladailynews.com.
Sequim-Dungeness Valley Editor Joe Smillie contributed to this report.
