 Jeri Williams Chief of Police |
Oxnard Police Department
R. Jason Benites Scott Whitney |
OXNARD POLICE DEPARTMENT
NEWS RELEASE
| INCIDENT | Pedestrian hit and run |
| DATE/TIME | March 31, 2012 at 7:40 p.m. |
| LOCATION | Santa Lucia and Rose Avenues |
| VICTIM | 10-year-old boy |
| SUSPECT | Raul Rivera, 54, Oxnard resident |
| WITNESS(ES) | FIVE OCCUPANTS OF WITNESS VEHICLE:
34 year-old Oxnard male driver 18 year-old Oxnard female passenger who called 911 12 year-old Oxnard female passenger witness 18 year-old Oxnard female who provided aid to victim 19 year-old Oxnard male who provided aid to victim |
| CONTACT | Mónica Muñoz Community Affairs Manager / PIO (805) 385-7631 monica.munoz@oxnardpd.org |
(Oxnard, CA) Today at about 7:40 p.m. Oxnard PD received a call of car that hit a pedestrian at the intersection of Santa Lucia and Rose Avenues. Five Oxnard residents saw the collision from a nearby vehicle. Two of the occupants immediately exited the car and rendered aid to the 10-year-old victim. The pair of rescuers pulled him out of traffic lanes to safety.
While tending to the injured bicyclist, the witnesses watched as the suspect vehicle, a gray Ford F-250 pick-up truck, sped away. The remaining three occupants of the witness vehicle followed the suspect while reporting the description and direction of the truck.
The witnesses’ maintained contact with the dispatcher at Oxnard PD as the suspect driver zigzagged his way through southeast Oxnard along Hueneme Road and Rice Avenue. Oxnard PD officers intercepted the suspect vehicle at Channel Islands Boulevard and DuPont Street. The driver was taken into custody without further incident.
The bicyclist was transported by ambulance to a local hospital with moderate injuries. It was determined that he was crossing the street on his bicycle while the light was green when he was hit.
The suspect is identified as Raul Rivera, 54, of Oxnard. Rivera was booked into the Ventura County Jail on charges of felony hit and run, and driving without a license.
Without the assistance of these five witnesses, the victim may have sustained additional injuries from passing traffic at the collision scene and the suspect could have escaped apprehension.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to call Oxnard PD at (805) 385-7740. If you wish to remain anonymous you may call the violent crimes hotline at (805) 982-7070 or Ventura County Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477. You can also visit this site http://www.venturacountycrimestoppers.org/contactus.aspx to submit a tip via text or email.
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