A male pedestrian was fatally struck by a vehicle near the corner of Van Ness and Grove around 6:20pm this evening.

According to Police Sgt. Eric Mahoney, the accident occurred following a verbal argument between the pedestrian and an unknown person. “Based on the witness statements we have so far, there was a gentlemen who was in a verbal argument with another person, walking northbound on Van Ness on the west side of the street. Some verbal altercation had happened and then the altercation had ended,” he said. “One party crossed Van Ness and was gone from the scene. As the second party crossed Van Ness -- a significant period later -- he made it all the way to the northbound lane when he was stuck by a vehicle.“ Drugs and alcohol were not a factor in the crash, Sgt. Mahoney told us. "The driver as we know it [was] obeying all traffic laws. At this point, the primary factor -- the reason this collision occurred -- is because the pedestrian was crossing outside of the crosswalk." Mahoney also mentioned that police are on the lookout for the person with whom the victim was last seen arguing. As usual, if any other details emerge, we will keep you updated.