Merced police searching for suspect in fatal hit-and-run

Merced police are searching for a driver who struck and killed a man before fleeing the scene, one of two fatal collisions involving pedestrians over the weekend.

Images of the driver wanted in the fatal hit-and-run were recorded by a security camera near the scene of the Friday night collision in the 800 block of West 16th Street.

Surveillance video shows the driver stepping out of the car and moving the victim away from the vehicle. He then drove into a nearby parking lot before fleeing eastward on 16th Street, driving past the victim and “never rendering medical aid,” police reported.

The victim, whose name had not been released as of Monday, died at the scene, police said.

The vehicle involved in the collision is described as a 2014 or 2015 Dodge Dart with five-spoke rims and a rear spoiler. Police believe there may be damage to the front of the car. Images recorded by the security camera were not defined enough to clearly identify the driver.

In a separate collision, a pedestrian was killed Saturday after being hit near Highway 59 and Bear Creek Drive, police Lt. Jay Struble said.

The pedestrian was walking in the middle of the road about 9 p.m. when a vehicle came around the corner. The driver could not avoid striking the pedestrian.

The driver was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs and likely will not face criminal charges, Struble said. The name of the victim, who died at the scene, had not been released on Monday.

Anyone with information on Friday’s deadly hit-and-run is asked to call the Merced Police Department’s tipster line at 209-385-4725 or Merced police Sgt. Dan Dabney or Sgt. Robert Solis at 209-385-6912.

This story was originally published January 18, 2016 at 6:11 PM with the headline "Merced police searching for suspect in fatal hit-and-run."