Suspect arrested in deadly hit-and-run that killed Walnut Creek nail salon owner
WALNUT CREEK -- Police in Walnut Creek on Friday confirmed the recent arrest of a suspect in a deadly hit-and-run collision that killed the owner of a local nail salon earlier this month.
In a press release issued Friday afternoon, police identified 29-year-old Brentwood resident Arck Ramirez as the suspect taken into custody in connection with the fatal hit-and-run that occurred on Oct. 1 near the intersection of N. Californian Blvd. and Civic Drive.
The family of Chungthuy "Tammy" Le identified her as the victim in the crash that happened that day at around 7 p.m. Walnut Creek police said she died of her injuries on Sunday.
The 44-year-old Le was the owner of Lavender Dreams Nail Spa. Her family said in a GoFundMe post she was trying to cross the street after leaving work when a car ran a red light and hit her. The suspect vehicle was described as a gold or tan, four-door sedan.
The Walnut Creek Police Department's Patrol Bureau, Investigations Bureau and Traffic Unit collaborated in the investigation to identify the driver. Police were able to locate the vehicle and arrest Ramirez Thursday evening thanks to tips from witnesses at the scene and images from nearby surveillance cameras. The vehicle involved was seized as evidence.
Ramirez was booked into the Martinez Detention Facility with a bail set at $300,000. He faces charges of gross vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run causing injury or death.
The case will be presented to the District Attorney for review.
Le left behind a husband and three children aged 12, 15 and 17 years old.
"Even now, it's still difficult to process that she is gone," the oldest daughter said on GoFundMe. "My father, in his sixties, worries most about me and my two siblings (me, 17, my sister, 15, and my brother, 12). What they [the perpetrator] did was unforgivable; they took away a strong, loving, and kindhearted wife, mother, and friend. She was an irreplaceable person to all of us."
