Hit and Run Driver Caught and Arrested

Officers from the Civil Guard in the Murcia region have arrested the driver of a hit and run incident which had resulted in a cyclist being seriously injured.

The incident took place on Tuesday, the World Day of the Bicycle, when the Guardia Civil were alerted to an incident in the El Raal area of the RM-303 main road by the 112 emergency coordination centre.

Officers attended the scene on the Santomera and Los Ramos road, where a cyclist had been hit by a vehicle which had fled the scene. The cyclist was left in a serious condition in the road by the collision and was attended by emergency medics who transported the injured party to the Murcia hospital for emergency surgery.

Evidence gathered at the scene indicated that a car had invaded the left-hand lane causing the collision, before driving through rural roads to apparently evade capture. The investigators were then able to determine the type of vehicle involved, and then set about a search to locate it.

Less than 24 hours after the incident, the traffic officers located a suspect vehicle in the Murcia town of Puente Tocinos, which had damage consistent with the incident under investigation. The vehicle had damage to a wing mirror, impact damage to its left-hand side and traces of identifying factors similar to the bicycle.

The officers then identified and located the owner, a male of 33 years of age and resident of Puente Tocinos, and presented their evidence to him. The man eventually confessed responsibility for the incident and was arrested on suspicion of crimes of dereliction of duty relief and having left the scene of a crash without providing assistance, and acting in a reckless manner which caused injury to the cyclist.

The vehicle was seized and taken away for forensic examination before its fate is decided by the courts, whereas the driver was presented to the courts in Murcia.