EPPD: Driver accused of striking, killing pedestrian in Tequila’s Discoteque parking lot

Detectives with the El Paso Police Department arrested and charged the driver accused of running over and killing a 19-year-old man outside a Lower Valley bar.

Gerardo Ayala, 20, of Horizon City, is charged “accident involving death.”

Ayala is accused of striking 19-year-old Joel Olivas, also of Horizon City, in the parkng lot of Tequila’s Discoteque, located at 810 Pendale. Olivas was struck and killed at approximately 2:13 a.m. on January 19, 2019.

Police said Olivas was walking in the parking lot when Ayala struck him with his pickup. Ayala allegedly drove away from the parking lot without stopping to render aid, police said.

Investigators identified Ayala as the driver of the pickup that struck Olivas. Ayala was located and arrested on January 22, 2019. He was jailed on a $30,000 bond.