Hit-and-run kills person in wheelchair in Santa Cruz; driver arrested for DUI
SANTA CRUZ – Authorities have arrested a woman on felony DUI and vehicular manslaughter charges in connection with a deadly hit-and-run that killed a man in a wheelchair in Santa Cruz over the weekend.
According to the California Highway Patrol, the collision took place in the area of Captiola Road and 7th Avenue around 10:10 p.m. Sunday.
Officers said the victim, who was in a motorized wheelchair, was attempting to cross Capitola Road and entered the roadway when she was struck a driver in a 1999 Mercedes-Benz. The driver fled the scene headed westbound.
The victim, identified as a 69-year-old man from Santa Cruz, was taken to Natividad Medical Center in Salinas for life-threatening injuries and later died. His name has not been released.
Police found the Mercedes abandoned on a nearby street.
Following an investigation, CHP officers arrested the driver at her home in Santa Cruz early Monday morning. The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Jessica Thompson, has been booked on charges of felony DUI, vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run.
It was not immediately known when Thompson would appear in court on the charges.
