Driver turns self in hours after fatal hit-and-run in South Lake Tahoe, police say
A suspect turned himself in to the authorities overnight following a hit-and-run collision that killed an elderly pedestrian in South Lake Tahoe on Sunday evening, police said.
Police and medical personnel responded to the scene, on southbound Lake Tahoe Boulevard near Fairway Avenue, just before 8 p.m. Sunday. A man in his 70s found on the sidewalk was pronounced dead at the scene, the South Lake Tahoe Police Department said in a news release.
Hours later at about 12:30 a.m. Friday, Marlon Cruz, 20, went to the Police Department and reported that he might have been involved in the fatal collision, the news release said. Detectives interviewed Cruz, identified him as the driver, located his vehicle and arrested him on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in death or injury.
The victim was determined by investigators to have been crossing Lake Tahoe Boulevard outside of a crosswalk when he was hit by a black car, police said.
“The man was hit so hard he was thrown to the sidewalk,” Monday’s news release said.
The victim’s identity has not been released by police or the coroner’s office.
Cruz is being held at the El Dorado County jail in lieu of $75,000 bail, booking logs show.
Anyone with additional information regarding the incident is urged to contact the South Lake Tahoe Police Department’s detective division at 530-542-6100.
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This story was originally published October 7, 2019 at 9:40 AM.
