Police Arrest Man In Connection With Midvale Hit-And-Run Crash
Mar 25, 2021, 7:30 PM | Updated: 10:54 pm
MIDVALE, Utah – Police have arrested the man suspected in a hit-and-run incident after releasing a photo taken moments after the crash.
Officials with the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake said a 60-year-old man was crossing the road at 900 East and 7200 South Tuesday evening when he was struck by a vehicle.
A witness said he saw the suspect get out of his vehicle, check on the man in the road, and then got in his car and took off.
“So he knew what he had done, he knew there was someone who was very seriously injured (and) chose to get back in his vehicle and drive away,” UPD Sgt. Melody Cutler said.
The witness was able to snap a photo as the suspect was leaving – showing both the suspect and a license plate.
Cutler said the photo led to officers finding the driver’s van. When they confronted the owner, she said he told them 47-year-old Daniel Wilkinson was driving it.
“This man has a bad driving history,” she said.
Cutler said if he stayed at the scene after hitting the pedestrian, it could have just been a ticket. Because he fled the area, it’s been upgraded to a felony offense.
Officials said auto-pedestrian incidents were up from the same time in 2020. Unified police have responded to 18 in 2021.
The victim suffered serious head injuries in the crash and was hospitalized in critical condition. His identity was not released.