Driver in fatal auto-pedestrian crash went home and ate, didn't call for help, charges state
by Pat Reavy ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- James Shama Pualale, 53, faces charges for a crash killing Tewelde Mekonen.
- Pualale allegedly left the scene, later eating and sleeping without calling for help.
- Prosecutors seek to hold him without bail, citing lack of responsibility and risk.
SOUTH SALT LAKE — Charges have been filed against a 53-year-old man who police say was involved in a crash that killed a pedestrian, but went home and ate and went to sleep rather than call for help.
James Shama Pualale, of West Valley City, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a second-degree felony; obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony; and driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor.
On Friday, just after 10 p.m., emergency crews were called to a report of a man "lying in the middle of the road unconscious" at 3265 S. 900 West. Paramedics declared the victim, 51-year-old Tewelde Mekonen, deceased at the scene.
Investigators found several car parts scattered in the road, one of which had a partial serial number, according to charging documents. The part was determined to be from a 2014 to 2020 Toyota Sienna.
Police then found nearby surveillance video that showed a Toyota Sienna in the area of 900 West and 3365 South at the time of the crash.
"Security footage shows that something appears to obstruct the Toyota's headlights and the Toyota starts to slow. A few seconds later the Toyota proceeds to conduct a slow U-turn to head northbound, before conducting another slow U-turn to head southbound. Security footage showed that after making the last U-turn, the Toyota is seen heading away from the scene to the intersection of 3500 South 900 West," the charges state.
Officers searched the area around the crash scene and on Sept. 12 found a Toyota Sienna with damage parked at a nearby apartment complex. A records check showed Pualale was the registered owner, and he did not currently have a valid license, according to the charges.
After family members confirmed that Pualale had recently been in an accident, he was taken to the South Salt Lake Police Department for further questioning. He asked the officers "is that guy OK?" on the ride to the police station, the charges state.
"Upon arrival at the police station, Pualale again made an excited utterance stating, 'I didn't even see him, he just ran out into the road,'" according to the charges.
Pualale told investigators that it was "very dark" and he "could not avoid" hitting Mekonen. He said he didn't have a phone with him so he drove home to call for help, the charges state.
When asked if he was aware that the incident happened right in front of a fire station and the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, Pualale said he did, but "he thought it would be faster to go home," according to the charges.
Then when asked if he called 911 after he got home, Pualale said, "'he thought about making a phone call,' but instead ate some food and went to sleep," the charges state.
Pualale also told police he had wiped off his car after arriving home.
"Upon being informed that (Mekonen) had been pronounced deceased on scene, (police) observed that Pualale seemed unfazed by the news," according to charging documents.
Prosecutors have requested that Pualale be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail pending trial due to the fact he "took no responsibility for his actions and admitted that he just thought about calling emergency services. (He) instead returned home, wiped down his Toyota, had something to eat and went to bed. (Pualale) has shown through his actions that he refuses to take responsibility and will continue risking the community by failing to comply with basic traffic laws and emergency protocols."
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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Pat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops-and-courts beat.