Accounts of a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run in Phoenix differ on the location and vehicle involved. DPS is seeking public help to locate a silver Mercedes GLC with front-end damage, linking it to a collision on northbound Interstate 17 near Indian School Road on Oct. 23. The driver fled, and investigators say they need leads.
The search was announced in a post from the Dept. of Public Safety.
A separate DPS release says all vehicles involved left the area after the collision and that detectives with the department’s Vehicular Crimes Unit are leading the investigation, according to Arizona Department of Public Safety.
Conflicting Details Emerge on the Crash Location and Vehicle
A separate account from 12News describes a car-and-pedestrian hit-and-run near 5th Avenue and Indian School Road, rather than on I-17. The report identified the pedestrian as 57-year-old DeWayne Lewis and said he was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
12News also reported that police believed the vehicle that struck Lewis was a white SUV that left the scene.
Statewide Pedestrian Fatality Context
According to the Daily Independent’s account of ADOT’s 2023 crash report, pedestrian fatalities statewide fell by 12.3% in 2023 compared with 2022. That statewide figure does not distinguish Phoenix-area freeway crashes from pedestrian crashes elsewhere in the city, so it does not answer how the locations compare.
How to Submit a Tip
DPS asks anyone with information to call the department’s tip line at 1-877-429-8477 or submit a tip through its online portal, referencing incident I26065383. Investigators have not released additional details about the driver or the circumstances that led to the crash.
