San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has brought murder charges against Hai Van Le, 48, in a case stemming from a fatal hit-and-run incident, as per an announcement made yesterday. According to an article published by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, Le faced arraignment yesterday, and entered a plea of not guilty to charges including murder, driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and leaving the scene of a crash.
Despite the District Attorney's Office's request to hold Le in detention without bail, citing a public safety risk, the court decided otherwise. Mr. Le was ordered to home detention with electronic monitoring, and he is forbidden from consuming alcohol or drugs, must attend two Alcoholics Anonymous classes each week, and is barred from driving. He has also been instructed to avoid contact with the victim's next of kin and is prohibited from attempting to obtain a passport or visa. His next court appearance is scheduled for December 22.
The hit-and-run incident in question occurred on October 26, when San Francisco Police Department officers were dispatched to the scene at the intersection of Ocean Avenue and Ashton Avenue. There, they found the victim at approximately 6:42 PM, who was pronounced dead just five minutes later. A witness at the scene provided crucial dashcam footage, which purportedly captures Le's vehicle proceeding through a green light and colliding with the victim, who was in the opposite crosswalk. Following the incident, the video allegedly shows the vehicle's brake lights engaging before the car continued eastbound.
While charges have currently been filed and the San Francisco District Attorney's Felony DUI Vertical Prosecution Unit is handling the case, it remains under active investigation. Residents with information regarding this incident are encouraged to contact the San Francisco Police Department Tip Line at 1-415-575-4444 or send a text to TIP411, starting the message with 'SFPD'. Informants may choose to remain anonymous when providing tips or information.
