A 35-year-old man is behind bars after Elk Grove police say a white minivan slammed into a pedestrian on Elk Grove Florin Road late Saturday, then took off, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries.
The 47-year-old Elk Grove man was hit while on foot and went down hard. Bystanders stayed with him until first responders arrived, and medical staff later told investigators they did not expect him to survive. Within a few hours of the crash, officers had tracked down a suspect and taken him into custody, according to police.
Arrest and scene details
The Elk Grove Police Department announced Tuesday that a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and felony driving under the influence, then booked into the Sacramento County Jail.
The collision was reported around 8:45 p.m. Saturday near the 8500 block of Elk Grove Florin Road. Police say the pedestrian was walking north onto the sidewalk at the entrance to an apartment complex when a vehicle exiting the driveway struck him.
Investigators have not ruled out additional counts. Police said prosecutors could seek more charges depending on how the victim’s condition develops, according to The Sacramento Bee.
How police tracked the vehicle
Elk Grove officers regularly lean on traffic-camera feeds and an automated license plate reader, or ALPR, system to help investigate crashes and chase down suspect vehicles.
The department’s published ALPR policy outlines how the system is managed and audited, and limits its use to law-enforcement purposes, including matching plates captured on camera to vehicle records. That setup, police say, is a key part of how investigators can quickly narrow down searches for vehicles that flee crash scenes, according to the Elk Grove Police Department.
Video shows minivan running a red light
The department released traffic-camera video that investigators say captures a white Honda minivan running a red light at Elk Grove Florin Road and Brown Road and nearly hitting a second pedestrian. Police say the van then continued north before the driver took off.
Using the department’s Real Time Information Center and an ALPR hit, investigators identified a license plate connected to the minivan and tracked the suspect to a location in Sacramento County. Officers say they found the van with hood damage that matched what they expected from a recent collision, according to The Sacramento Bee.
Potential charges and penalties
Under California law, leaving the scene of a crash that injures someone can be prosecuted under Vehicle Code §20001, which allows for prison time and fines in injury hit-and-run cases.
Driving under the influence is banned under Vehicle Code §23152, and DUI cases that involve injuries can be charged more harshly depending on the specific facts. Prosecutors will decide on formal charges once investigators submit their full report and there is an updated assessment of the victim’s condition.
What’s next
The investigation is still underway, and police say they will seek any further charges that the evidence and the victim’s medical status support.
Anyone who witnessed the collision or has additional information is asked to contact the Elk Grove Police Department’s Traffic Bureau, according to the City of Elk Grove.
