Gabriel Perez Facio, Pomona Cyclist, Killed in Hit-and-Run; Dragged Half-Block by SUV
Updated at the bottom: Suspected hit-and-run driver turns himself in -- likely due to "large amount of media coverage" surrounding Facio's death.
@AntonioNBCLA via Twitter "Pomona family puts cross at site of where Gabriel Perez died."
Originally posted December 29 at 2:15 p.m.
In one of the most horrific hit-and-runs of the year, Pomona resident Gabriel Perez Facio was killed by an SUV that dragged him half a block before fleeing the scene.
Facio was riding his bicycle along Sixth Street when he reached Towne Avenue, thick with 5:30 p.m. traffic. As he attempted to cross Towne, a green SUV going northbound -- now believed to be either a Dodge or a Chrysler -- T-boned the 44-year-old cyclist. (Map of the intersection below.)
Pomona police are seeking witnesses to Facio's horrific death, reports the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Here's what they would have seen:
The vehicle dragged the bicyclist about half a block.The SUV continued north on Towne, then turned east onto Mission Boulevard.
"The driver of the SUV did not stop or attempt to render aid to the bicyclist," Hsu said.
Because the accident occurred on a street with so much vehicle- and foot traffic, investigators are hopeful that someone might come forward with more information that could lead them to Facio's killer.
(Unlike the Sheriff's Department's botched, week-late public notification of young Calvin Charles in Compton last week, there might still be time to trace the green SUV with possible front-end damage that hit Facio.)
To offer a tip yourself, call the Pomona Police Department's Traffic Division at (909) 620-2081.
And for those of you who knew the victim: We'd love to hear more about him. R.I.P.
Update, December 30, 10:30 a.m.: The San Gabriel Valley Tribune is reporting that a 67-year-old Chino resident named Rodger Allen Karcher turned himself in for the hit-and-run last night.
"[Karcher's] vehicle was also located and the damage to it matched the physical evidence located at the collision scene," [said Pomona police Sgt. Christian Hsu].... "The large amount of media coverage played a positive role in this investigation," Hsu said. "Investigators concluded that Karcher turned himself in after watching numerous news stories about the collision."
The admitted culprit is now being held under $50,000 bail at the Pomona jail. He'll be arraigned on the day after New Year's.
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