Cellphone Video Shows Oakland Hit-And-Run Suspects Drive Away
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Oakland police said Thursday that they hope video footage will help them identify and arrest the driver and passenger of a vehicle that struck a 14-year-old bicyclist in the Fruitvale district on Wednesday afternoon, leaving him in critical condition.
The vehicle struck the bicyclist in the 1100 block of 35th Avenue, near the Fruitvale BART station, at about 12:20 p.m. Wednesday and dragged him for about four blocks before it finally stopped, according to police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson.
The boy, who was on his way to a nearby bike shop when he was hit, was dislodged when the car stopped but the driver and passenger then drove away and abandoned the vehicle several blocks away, Watson said.
"A very sad story, because this could have been avoided, by stopping the car," said Watson.
"It absolutely breaks my heart to think about a person being underneath a car and the driver is not wanting to do anything about it," said neighbor Tamila Jackson.
Charles Green, the man who took the cellphone footage, said he had no idea what he walked into when he began recording. He called 911, but said he learned details of what happened hours later.
"Who does this?" said Green. "Who does this. I'm getting emotional just thinking about it."
Police hope to recover video footage of the collision from the BART station, Alameda-Contra Costa Transit buses that were traveling in the area and from nearby businesses and residences, according to Watson.
The two suspects haven't yet been identified, located or arrested, she said.
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