A 24-year-old New Orleans man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian on Elysian Fields Avenue, with police saying he turned himself in and admitted to driving the car that struck the victim. The victim, a woman, was pronounced dead at the scene near Elysian Fields and Caton Street.
According to nola.com, Dominic Sartin surrendered to police and admitted to driving the vehicle that hit the victim. Detectives determined that a silver Nissan Altima struck the woman as she was in the roadway, and the driver did not stop, render aid, or leave contact information before fleeing the scene, per the same report. Sartin now faces one felony charge of hit-and-run driving resulting in a fatality.
The Orleans Parish Coroner's Office is expected to formally identify the victim, the outlet reported. No further details about the circumstances leading up to the crash, including what led Sartin to come forward, have been released.
A Separate Crash Under Investigation Nearby
The arrest comes as the New Orleans Police Department also investigates a distinct, more recent hit-and-run in the same corridor. Per WDSU, investigators were called to the 3100 block of Elysian Fields Avenue around 2:15 a.m. Thursday, where another victim was pronounced dead at the scene. As of Thursday morning, no further information on that crash had been released.
Elysian Fields Avenue has seen other deadly crashes in recent memory that remain separate from the current cases. In one earlier incident reported by WDSU, a man and woman were crossing an intersection around 8 p.m. when both were struck by a vehicle; the man died at the scene, while the woman was taken to a hospital. In that case, the driver remained on scene and cooperated with investigators, a notable contrast to the fled-the-scene allegation now facing Sartin.
Pattern of Fatal Hit-and-Runs Across the City
New Orleans has also contended with fatal hit-and-run cases elsewhere in the city. In the 4900 block of Chef Menteur Highway, a crash just before 7:30 a.m. left a victim who later died at a hospital, WDSU reported. Police in that case arrested Shermaine P. Scipio, who faced hit-and-run driving death and obstruction of justice charges, with bond set at $125,000.
None of these other cases have been confirmed as connected to the Elysian Fields Avenue crash involving Sartin. Investigators have not released additional details on his case, including booking information or a court date.
