On Dec 1, 2008, at approximately 1800 hours, a 7-year-old boy was hit by a minivan as he chased a ball into the street. The motorist initially stopped and got out of her vehicle, but quickly reentered it and sped away without identifying herself or rendering aid as required by law. The motorist was described as a female Hispanic, 35-40 years of age. Due to the seriousness of the young boy’s injuries and the fact that the suspect failed to remain at scene, the on-call response team was notified to respond for investigative support.
Detective Jones and Smith responded to the scene and conducted a thorough investigation. A systematic search for witnesses and evidence was conducted. The involved officers and investigators made contact with several residents in the area to determine whether they had witnessed this horrific incident. Hence, the involved employees were unable to locate any witnesses that were able to identify the suspect.
The investigators combed the area for clues and evidence that were possibly left behind by the suspect’s vehicle. After a thorough search of the area, the investigators located a fog lamp grill that was located against the sidewalk, near the area of the collision. The fog lamp grill had fallen off the suspect’s vehicle upon impact with the young boy. The fog lamp grill was thoroughly examined by the investigators. The fog lamp grill displayed the type of vehicle (Nissan), including a manufacturer’s number.
Officer Free contacted a local Nissan dealership to determine whether a Nissan vehicle can be identified with a fog lamp grill manufacturer’s number. She was told that the manufacturer’s number on the fog lamp grill cannot be linked to a particular Nissan. She then opted to use the Internet to search for photos of Nissan Vans to determine whether the fog lamp grill was consistent with Nissan Vans. She was unable to find an exact match with Nissan Vans. She then searched for photos of Nissan Pathfinders between the years of 1999-2004. She then noted that the fog lamp grill from Nissan Pathfinders was consistent with the fog lamp grill that was recovered from the scene.
After determining that the fog lamp grill was a part from a Nissan Pathfinder, Officer Free then focused her attention on locating Nissan Pathfinders. She used the countywide Network Communication System (NECS), Traffic Information System Inquiry (TISI), to conduct a search of female Hispanics between the ages of 35-40, that were issued citations within recent years, while operating a Nissan Pathfinder. After a laborious search of each Nissan Pathfinder that had been cited, she was able to identify five possible suspects.
Upon reviewing each of the citations from the five possible suspects, Officer Free noted that one of the five suspects was issued a citation in 2007, near the area where the young boy was struck by the hit-and-run motorist. A photo of the suspect was obtained from the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) Photo Web, which revealed the suspect’s home address. The suspect’s home address was located in the area where the young boy was hit.
Detective Jones and Officer Free conducted a follow up to the suspect’s residence, and discovered that the suspect had relocated. Officers Jackson and Collins then conducted a follow up to a secondary location that was listed on the suspect’s DMV printout, as a possible home address. Jackson and Collins observed a Nissan Pathfinder parked in a parking lot of the apartment complex that matched the description of the hit-and-run vehicle, including vehicle damage that was consistent with the recovered fog lamp grill. She then noted that the fog lamp grill from Nissan Pathfinders was consistent with the fog lamp grill that was recovered from the scene.
Based upon the totality of the evidence, Officer Jackson and Free door knocked the suspect's residence to determine the ownership of the Nissan Pathfinder. The officers were met by a female Hispanic who allowed the officers entry inside her residence. At this time, the female Hispanic made a spontaneous statement to the officers regarding her involvement in this incident. She indicated that she was the driver of the vehicle that had hit the little boy on Estrella Street.
Officer Free conducted an extensive interview with the female Hispanic, who admitted to driving the Nissan Pathfinder, hitting the young boy, and failing to remain at the scene of the collision. The suspect was then arrested for felony hit-and-run.
Officer Brady was instrumental with soliciting the support of the community, through the use of the local Spanish network with locating witnesses and possibly identifying the suspect. She also provided Spanish translation for the victim’s parents, and provided them with information relative to financial services that are provided for victims of crimes.
The arrest and investigation was a team effort with detective and uniform personnel. The aforementioned employees are commended for their attention to duty, investigative skills, and teamwork.
south bureau 
