Man killed in possibly targeted hit-and-run crash
Jul 3, 2023, 5:51 AM | Updated: 1:05 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — Police are looking for a suspect that left a 61-year-old man dead in a hit-and-run crash in Salt Lake City.
According to the Salt Lake City Police Department, they are investigating the deadly crash which occurred near 1020 N Topaz Drive.
The investigation began at 1:15 a.m. Monday when dispatch received a call about a crash involving a car and a person riding a scooter.
“Based on the preliminary information, detectives believe the driver may have intentionally hit the man on the scooter and left the scene without stopping,” the release from police stated.
Resident Natalie Johnson’s windows face the road, where the action unfolded.
“I was laying in bed and heard something that I kind of passed off as fireworks until I saw, like, a light and came running up,” Johnson said.
Officers and paramedics provided aid to the man, but he died on the scene.
At this time, there is no suspect information or description about the driver’s car available.
“Based on what we know right now, the preliminary investigation is detectives believe that a car was traveling Westbound on 1000 North when it turned around and it appears that it intentionally crossed traffic and hit the man on his scooter that was traveling Westbound on 1000 North,” Mark Wian, a Sgt. with Salt Lake City Police Department’s Public Relations Unit, said.
It is unknown if the driver and the man on the scooter knew each other.
We are investigating a deadly hit & run crash near 1000 N. Topaz Drive.
Our Crash Analysis Reconstruction (CAR) Team, Homicide Detectives and Crime Lab are helping with the investigation.
A PIO is at the northeast corner of 1000 N. Topaz Drive.#SaltLakeCity #SLC #SLCPD pic.twitter.com/qpma6G9JeA
— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) July 3, 2023
“This is the third hit and run in that same exact same spot since I moved here in 2020… It makes me definitely worry about this street and this, I mean people definitely speed down this street, but I don’t know, it seems to be something a little bit more than that,” Johnson said.
Officers immediately began the search for the car involved, which they said should have front-end damage.
Detectives are urging the driver to come forward by calling 911 and turning themselves in.
“If anyone lives along here… if anyone was traveling around that 1:00 timeframe, please check your surveillance cameras, your doorbell cameras, for any kind of evidence that may help us with this investigation,” Wian said.
Salt Lake City Crash Analysis Reconstruction (CAR) Team, Homicide Detectives, and Crime Lab are helping with the investigation.
Anyone with information about this crash should call 801-799-3000 and reference case number 23-144525.
Karah Brackin contributed to this report.
