A tragic incident unfolded last Friday when a pedestrian was fatally struck in a hit-and-run collision in west Phoenix; law enforcement has since taken the alleged driver into custody, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix. The crash occurred near the intersection of 43rd Avenue and McDowell Road, leading to the death of 32-year-old Miguel Alteres, who was crossing the street when he was hit by an SUV. The Phoenix Police detailed officers found him critically injured upon arriving at the scene around 5:43 a.m., and he was later pronounced dead by firefighters.
Witnesses at the site told detectives they saw a "gray colored Jeep Cherokee" involved in the accident and observed a woman in her 40s exit the vehicle momentarily before reentering and fleeing the scene, said Sgt. Brian Bower, FOX 10 Phoenix, states, further details from the investigation led to the arrest of 24-year-old Michelle Guzman-Garcia under charges of felony hit-and-run after she was identified as the driver of the involved SUV. Notably, the intersection where the fatal incident took place was closed down for several hours as part of the investigation, but has been reopened.
Adding to the details of the case, court documents revealed by AZ Family indicate that Guzman-Garcia expressed to the police that she had fled the accident site because she was scared, further investigation led the police to Guzman-Garcia's Glendale home where authorities found her vehicle with a freshly washed bumper that showed evidence of a collision, and a missing portion of a hazard light that was compare with fragments recovered from the crash scene.
Guzman-Garcia, who admitted to being the sole driver of the car, justified her departure post-crash to being scared and needing to go to work, according to police, she also stated that she has never held a driver's license in either the United States or Mexico, currently, she remains detained at the Maricopa County jail with bail set at $250,000 and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Nov. 3.
