LOS ANGELES, CA — A 15-year-old Riverside Polytechnic High School student remained hospitalized after being struck by a pickup truck in a hit-and-run crash, while Riverside police arrested a 47-year-old Bloomington man following a six-day investigation.
The collision happened Friday, Sept. 4, at about 3:39 p.m. near the intersection of Victoria Avenue and Myrtle Avenue in Riverside, according to the Riverside Police Department.
Police said multiple callers reported that a vehicle had struck a Poly High School student before leaving the area. Officers and firefighter-paramedics responded to the scene, and the student was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Student remains hospitalized
The victim was identified by police only as a student at Riverside Polytechnic High School. The department did not release the teenager’s name.
The student’s injuries were serious enough to require hospitalization. Information provided by police said the student remained hospitalized following the collision.
The original incident involved a vehicle and pedestrian, according to the Riverside Police Department. The department’s Traffic Unit subsequently took over the investigation as detectives worked to identify the vehicle and driver involved.
The intersection of Victoria Avenue and Myrtle Avenue is within the City of Riverside, meaning traffic collisions and related investigations in that area fall under the jurisdiction of the Riverside Police Department rather than the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. The city’s police department provides traffic and emergency response services within Riverside.
Witness information and ALPR data helped identify suspect
Detectives received information from members of the community during the investigation and also reviewed data from automated license plate reader systems.
The Riverside Police Department maintains an ALPR policy explaining that the technology can automatically detect license plates and be used for official law-enforcement purposes, including investigations involving wanted or stolen vehicles. The department’s policy also places restrictions on access to and use of ALPR information.
In this case, police said the combination of community information and ALPR data helped investigators identify the suspect and the vehicle believed to have been involved.
Detectives identified the suspect as a 47-year-old man from Bloomington. Police did not initially release his name in the information provided about the case.
Suspect turned himself in
Investigators located the suspect’s vehicle unoccupied and had it impounded as evidence.
After detectives contacted the suspect, he turned himself in to police on Sept. 10, six days after the crash.
He was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside, according to police.
An arrest is not a conviction, and the allegation remains subject to the criminal court process.
Police have not publicly released additional details about the circumstances that led the driver to leave the scene or what happened during the period between the collision and his surrender.
Investigation highlights community assistance
Riverside police credited people who provided information during the investigation, along with the technology used to help develop investigative leads.
The department said community tips and ALPR information were used together with traditional investigative techniques to identify the suspect.
Riverside Police Department’s public information lists its non-emergency dispatch number as 951-354-2007, and the department continues to accept information from members of the public about cases under investigation.
Anyone with additional information about the collision can contact Riverside police at 951-354-2007.
The investigation remains tied to the Sept. 4 collision, while the teenage victim continues to receive medical care. Police have not publicly released additional information about the student’s condition beyond the hospitalization.
