Man in wheelchair killed by hit-and-run driver in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police are searching for the driver of a vehicle that fatally struck a man in an electric wheelchair.

Victim identified

What we know:

Authorities have identified the victim as 49-year-old Elmo Ballard Jr. of Oakland. Ballard was in a crosswalk around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, when police say he was hit by a driver heading northbound on San Pablo Avenue attempting to turn onto 18th Street.

"The scooter went flying. He went under the car, it was awful," said Greg, a witness. "You feel a little helpless, and at the same time trying to do what you can."

The driver left the car running and still in drive and took off from the scene, according to witnesses.

A passing tow truck driver was flagged down and used a jack to lift the vehicle and relieve pressure from Ballard, who began to speak after being freed.

"As soon as the pressure got off of him, he was just saying he was having trouble breathing," said Greg.

Emergency responders arrived shortly after and transported Ballard to a nearby hospital, where he later died.

The backstory:

According to city data, 13 pedestrians were killed in crashes in Oakland last year. A witness, John Spigott called the ongoing pedestrian fatalities preventable.

"It’s the stunting, it’s the lawlessness," said Spigott. "People pass me in school zones at high speeds. It happens multiple times a month."

As of Monday, police had not identified a suspect. Authorities are asking anyone with video footage of the incident to come forward.

"You can’t leave, you can’t run away," said Spigott, addressing the unknown driver. "Maybe you didn’t hit that person on purpose, but you can’t run off like that."

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