A local 27-year-old man is accused of a hit and run after riding a motorcycle on the sidewalk and hitting a pedestrian, the Public Security Police Force (PSP) informed media yesterday.
The case occurred at around 7:15 a.m. on February 1 at Rua do Canal Novo within Areia Preta district.
According to both the victim and two eyewitnesses who called the police, the man was riding a motorcycle on the pedestrian sidewalk of this street when he hit a pedestrian, causing both to fall to the ground.
The motorcyclist attempted to convince the victim not to call the police, saying that he would settle the matter privately, but the woman refused.
Before the authorities arrived at the scene, and with the excuse that he needed to use the toilet, the man fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind.
When the PSP officers arrived at the scene, the rider was long gone, and both the victim and two eyewitnesses told the police what had occurred.
Upon investigation, the PSP found that the vehicle did not belong to the suspect but to one of his friends. Having successfully reached the suspect via telephone, he handed himself in at the police station around 5:45 p.m. on the same day.
Speaking to the police, the motorcyclist denied hitting any pedestrian, saying that he fell without colliding with any other person after having lost control of the motorcycle.
He admitted to having consumed alcohol prior to the incident, but said that, when he crashed, he was not under the influence of alcohol.
The PSP performed a breathalyzer test (almost 11 hours after the incident) which had the result of a concentration of 0.38 grams of alcohol per liter of blood, a concentration that is not punishable by the law.
Nevertheless, the police said they have enough evidence that the accident occurred and that it was caused by irresponsible riding, and also that the man tried to evade responsibilities by fleeing the scene and abandoning the victim. Both of these acts are felonies which are punishable by local laws.
The man was referred to the Public Prosecutions Office on February 4 where he was accused of attempting to escape responsibility by fleeing the scene of the accident and abandoning of the victim as well as damage to the physical health of the victim.
