Oklahoma City police arrested a 42-year-old man after he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian in a wheelchair, then kept driving for two blocks.
Felipe Codena Sarazua was charged with leaving the scene of a fatality collision, according to KOKH. The crash happened Tuesday, Oct. 13, near SE 42nd Street and Shields Boulevard.
Officers responded to the scene and found victim who used a wheelchair had been hit. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital and later pronounced dead, Oklahoma City police said.
Investigators determined Sarazua was traveling southbound on Shields Boulevard when he allegedly struck the victim, according to police. He continued driving for about two blocks before stopping because the vehicle was dragging the wheelchair before he was arrested.
The fatal crash was one of four major collisions across Oklahoma City in a 24-hour stretch that left three people dead and one critically injured, as we reported Oct. 14. Two of the fatal crashes happened Tuesday morning less than two hours apart. The first occurred around 5 a.m. near Reno and Rockwell avenues, where a pedestrian was also killed, KOCO reported. A separate hit-and-run at 600 SW 59th St. left another pedestrian critically injured.
Staff Sgt. Dillon Quirk of the Oklahoma City Police Department urged drivers and pedestrians to share the road. "It's not necessarily a crime if you get into a collision with a pedestrian … but it definitely is a crime to leave," Quirk told KOCO.
Quirk also asked drivers to avoid distractions behind the wheel and slow down.
The victim’s name was not released in the reports reviewed. The charge against Sarazua is an allegation.
Anyone with information about the separate hit-and-run at SW 59th Street can contact the Oklahoma City Police Department.
