In the spring of 2018, the life of a young Hispanic man was cut short in a senseless act of violence. On the evening of April 6, 21-year-old Efren Cervantes Sanchez was in the parking lot of the Valley Mall in Union Gap, Washington, when a dispute escalated into a fatal encounter. Following an argument, Efren was shot in the chest. Emergency services were called to the scene, and he was quickly transported to Yakima Regional Hospital.
Despite the efforts of medical staff, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The sudden and tragic death of Efren, who was born on May 25, 1996, in Coalcoman, Michoacán, sent shockwaves through the Yakima community.
The Union Gap Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation. Their efforts soon identified a primary suspect: 18-year-old Luis Coronado-Vazquez. Investigators also determined that another individual, 18-year-old Alexander Pelcastre of Toppenish, was allegedly behind the wheel of the getaway vehicle. Pelcastre was arrested on suspicion of rendering criminal assistance to second-degree murder. The search for the alleged shooter, Coronado-Vazquez, intensified, with police describing him as armed and dangerous. The investigation into Coronado-Vazquez's background revealed a troubled history that included juvenile offenses and affiliations with local gangs.
A break in the case came on April 17, 2018, when authorities received a tip from Yakima County Crime Stoppers. The information led a multi-agency law enforcement team to a motel in Grandview. Early in the morning, officers converged on the Grandview Motel on East Wine Country Road where Coronado-Vazquez was staying. As police moved in, he attempted to escape through a rear window of his room. His bid for freedom was short-lived, however, as he was apprehended in a nearby mobile home park. Following his capture, Luis Coronado-Vazquez was booked into the Yakima County Jail on an outstanding arrest warrant for second-degree murder and first-degree assault, bringing a significant development to the investigation into the death of Efren Cervantes Sanchez.
