Man fatally dragged, run over trying to stop Redwood City hit-and-run driver
Man run over and killed by hit-and-run suspect he chased in Redwood City
A man running after a pickup driver who had sideswiped a Jeep he and his wife were in was run over and killed by the suspect in Redwood City.
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - A 36-year-old man died in Redwood City on Tuesday when he grabbed onto a truck that tried to flee the scene of a crash and was dragged on the road before falling and being run over.
What we know:
Redwood City police were called just after 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday to the 800 block of Woodside Road on reports of a fatal crash involving a pedestrian, according to a department statement.
At the scene, officers found medical responders providing aid to the man, who was eventually pronounced dead. Friends identified him as 36-year-old Arturo Cervantes Romero.
"Really humbled individual. Sad to see him gone like this," friend George Marquez said at a growing memorial in the center median of Woodside near Gordon Street.
An investigation into the man’s death revealed that he was a passenger in a Jeep that was traveling south on Hudson Street when it was sideswiped by a white Ford pickup truck that was exiting a driveway near Woodside Road.
Wife of victim pulled over after initial crash
What we know:
The driver of the Jeep — the victim's wife — pulled over after the collision to exchange information, but the truck fled the scene without stopping, according to Redwood City police and friends of the victim.
"The victim pursued the pickup on foot and caught up to it as it slowed in traffic on Woodside Road," the police department said. "The victim grabbed onto the truck in an attempt to stop it. [The driver] accelerated with the victim still holding onto the vehicle. The victim subsequently fell from the truck and was run over by the Ford."
Driver surrenders the next day:
Investigators found the Ford pickup abandoned not far from the scene of the crash, and it was taken as evidence.
The driver of the truck – later identified as 32-year-old Lazaro Gregorio Chacajlux of Redwood City – turned himself into police the next day and was booked into jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter. KTVU has learned the suspect was involved in a previous crash within the past year, but it's unclear whether he was at fault.
The San Mateo County DA's office will review the case to determine whether formal charges will be filed.
An investigation into the crash and the victim’s death is ongoing, and anyone with information was asked to contact Redwood City police at 650-780-7100.
The Source: Redwood City Police Department