BELLEVIEW, Fla. – Police in Belleview on Monday arrested a 25-year-old man accused of hitting and killing a woman with his car and then fleeing the area.
Christian Parker was arrested without incident, though he initially refused to come out of his residence in Summerfield, police said.
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According to police, Parker was identified as the driver of a black 1999 Lincoln Town Car by witnesses who saw the vehicle hit the 34-year-old victim, who was in a marked crosswalk Sunday in the 10400 block of U.S. Highway 441.
Video from a nearby business showed the car bypassing stopped traffic at a red light and speeding through the right turn lane, striking the victim and then continuing south without stopping, police said.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office also says the suspected vehicle had been reported for reckless driving prior to the hit-and-run, and witnesses provided dispatch with Parker’s description and the car’s license plate number. The witnesses said the suspect was speeding, using a cell phone and forcing other vehicles off the road.
While investigators were able to track Parker down, they said he did not have his car with him. A witness told investigators that on Sunday afternoon, Parker had claimed his vehicle had been stolen.
Park is facing charges of vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash involving a death.
If anyone knows where the black Lincoln Town Car may be, call Belleview Police Department at 352-245-7044 or Crime Stoppers at 352-368-7867 (STOP).
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