47-year-old bicyclist killed in hit-and-run in West Baltimore

BALTIMORE -- Police are still looking for the driver responsible for a deadly hit-and-run over the weekend.

Officers found a 47-year-old bicyclist at Franklin and Payson streets after he'd been hit by a car around 12:30 a.m. Sunday. Police say the car was long gone by the time those officers arrived.

The victim had life-threatening injuries, according to police. Medics also responded and tried to save his life, but the victim eventually was pronounced dead on the scene.

CRASH team investigators have taken over the investigation. A suspect vehicle description hasn't been released at this time.

WJZ met neighbors who walk and drive around that intersection Monday, telling reporter Dennis Valera it's a dangerous intersection.

A local advocacy group said more can be done to make not only that intersection safer, but the whole city.

Standing at a corner of that intersection, it's easy to see cars driving by a little too fast. It's something neighbors in the area say is a concern.

"I don't think they pay attention to the [stoplight] and the stop sign," one neighbor told WJZ. "Everybody seems like they're zooming [through]."

This same neighbor rattled off several examples of scary driving behavior at the intersection.

"I see people cutting people off on the regular, and then they speed. They can't stop when they need to," he said.

It's why Sunday's deadly hit-and-run didn't come as too much of a surprise. But, the same neighbor worries the next incident will happen soon.

Jed Weeks is the interim executive director for Bikemore, which is an organization trying to make the city's streets safer for everyone.

He said his heart is with the victim's family.

"That's just a completely unacceptable thing. People need to be responsible for their own actions. They need to stop," Weeks said.

Weeks said bike lanes or infrastructure to separate bicyclists and drivers need to cover more of the city's roads.

He also would like to see more technology installed to catch bad behavior.

"In this instance, maybe a red light camera at that location would've deterred someone from running the red light," Weeks said. "Even if they did run the red light, we might've seen evidence of them fleeing the scene."

The city's Department of Transportation confirmed Franklin and Payson streets has a deadly history, saying someone was hit and killed by a car in 2022. It's not confirmed if this is a hit-or-run incident.

Sunday's incident is Baltimore's second deadly hit-and-run this year. In 2023, there were nine, while there were eight in 2022.

If you know anything about this hit-and-run incident, you can call police at 410-396-2606.

You can also leave an anonymous tip with Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7LOCKUP. Tips can also be texted at the MCS of Maryland website.