A Normandy Park man was sentenced this afternoon to 41 months in prison for the hit-and-run accident last year that killed bicyclist Michael Wang in Seattle.
Erlin Garcia-Reyes pleaded guilty last month to felony hit and run. Speaking through a translator during his sentencing, Garcia-Reyes apologized for his actions.
“I want to tell the family members that I would like them to forgive me for what happened,” he said.
Wang, 44, a husband, father of two, was a photographer at PATH, a global-health nonprofit in Seattle. He was riding on Dexter Avenue North in Seattle headed toward his Shoreline home on July 28, 2011,when he was struck by an SUV that was making a left turn onto Thomas Street, police said.
The SUV driver fled, according to police.
Wang had been commuting by bicycle to his Shoreline home for several years, according to his wife Claire Allen. The accident sent shock waves through Seattle’s biking community, prompting calls for added safety measures for cyclists.
Seattle police said tips from the public and old-fashioned detective work led them to the 28-year-old Reyes, who was arrested in early June. Police and prosecutors said that detectives began to look at Garcia-Reyes in April. Garcia-Reyes’ drove a silver 2002 Chevrolet Suburban that is similar to the description of the SUV that struck Wang.