An arrest has been made in connection with the hit-and-run that injured a Western student on Jan. 31, officials said. Luis Gomez Gutierrez, 51, was charged on Feb. 5 in connection with operating the vehicle that injured Western junior Lucas K. Brazier and fleeing the scene, according to the Washington State Patrol. The Bellingham Herald reported this story first on Feb. 6. Gutierrez was booked into Whatcom County Jail on Monday, Feb. 5. Washington State Patrol received a call on Feb. 2 alerting them to a vehicle that matched the description released to the press. Following an investigation, detectives arrested Gutierrez on Feb. 5 in Sedro-Woolley. The vehicle involved was a 1995 green Ford Escort wagon. Detectives said the damage to the Ford Escort is consistent with evidence recovered during the on-scene investigation. Brazier was found with head trauma and leg injuries on the night of Jan. 31, according to Washington State Patrol. Brazier was in critical condition and transported to St. Joseph Hospital, and later Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. A Harborview spokesperson said Tuesday, Feb. 6 that he is still being hospitalized and is currently in satisfactory condition. According to a spokesperson, Harborview has four different categories for patients: satisfactory, serious, critical and, after confirming with family, deceased. At around 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 31, Washington State Patrol received a 911 call about a pedestrian walking in the southbound lanes of Interstate 5 just south of Samish Way. A trooper found Brazier nearby in the brush on the right side of the roadway shortly after, according to Washington State Patrol.
