Man in electric wheelchair dies after hit-and-run; suspected driver arrested

A hit-and-run left a man dead over the weekend when he was hit while trying to cross the street in his wheelchair, Sacramento police said.

At 11:35 p.m. Saturday, a man in his 60s was crossing Broadway in his electric wheelchair when the driver, traveling northbound on Stockton Boulevard, hit the man, said Sgt. Vance Chandler, Sacramento Police Department spokesman. The victim was within the crosswalk when he was hit, he said.

The driver fled the scene and the man was taken to a local hospital for serious injuries, Chandler said.

He died later that night, he said.

Motor Collision Investigators worked to track down the suspected driver, Eric Avelar, 45, using license plate recognition technology and officers arrested him on suspicion of felony hit-and-run, Chandler said. Avelar was booked into the Sacramento County jail Saturday.

The identity of the victim has not yet been released by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office.

Molly Sullivan: 916-321-1176, @SullivanMollyM

This story was originally published July 2, 2018 at 11:39 AM.