Authorities in Fort Worth and Denton have asked the public to help find the suspects wanted in connection with two separate hit-and-run incidents that occurred late Tuesday evening.
Both hit-and-runs involved pedestrians. One victim was killed, and another was seriously injured.
Just after 9:30 p.m. on October 24, a driver allegedly struck a pedestrian near Highway 287 and East Rosedale in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth police reported that the victim who was killed had been walking on the road and had presumably been hit by accident. However, the driver fled the scene, making the incident a third-degree felony punishable by 2-10 years in state prison.
Officer Buddy Calzada told Fox 4 KDFW that the suspect appeared to be driving a silver or gray SUV.
“It looks to be a GMC Terrain. It is going to have some front-end damage on it where it … [struck] the pedestrian, and it’s between the years of 2010 to 2015,” Calzada said.
While the Fort Worth Police Department’s 11-person traffic investigation unit is on the case, Calzada urged anyone with information to come forward.
“We need the public to call us,” he said, per Fox 4. The phone number to call is 817-392-4884.
A separate hit-and-run incident happened in Denton around the same time. A female victim was left with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
The woman was hit by a vehicle while she was walking on the sidewalk on Elm Street near Texas Woman’s University.
The driver involved in the collision allegedly fled the scene, failing to render aid to the victim, which made the incident a criminal offense.
Denton police believe the suspect was driving a black 2010-2013 Kia Optima. The vehicle is missing its passenger-side mirror and could have sustained further damage.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Denton police at 940-349-8363.
In nearby Dallas, vehicle-related crimes rank among the highest seen this year, ranking first and third in terms of prevalence on the city’s crime overview dashboard. At the very top are reports of motor vehicle theft, with 15,427 clocked as of October 26, indicating a year-over-year increase of 41.2%.
The Dallas Police Department currently maintains a force of fewer than 3,200 officers despite a prior analysis recommending Dallas keep around 4,000 on staff to maintain public safety.
Such crimes have been concentrated in Downtown Dallas, where one study by the Metroplex Civic & Business Association found that auto thefts occur approximately 46 times more often than in Fort Worth’s downtown area. A dedicated special police unit patrols the latter alongside private security guards.
