Police seek help identifying suspect in hit-and-run collision that killed Oakland grandmother
OAKLAND - The Oakland Police Department is asking for the community's assistance in identifying a suspect wanted in connection with a hit-and-run collision that killed a 73-year-old grandmother earlier this month.
On June 16th, just after 7:00 PM, OPD officers were dispatched to an injury collision involving a vehicle that struck a pedestrian at Foothill Boulevard and Vicksburg Avenue. Upon arrival, officers discovered 73-year-old Santu Maya, of Oakland, suffering from a severe head injury related to the collision.
Oakland Fire Department (OFD) and Falck Ambulance personnel arrived at the scene and rendered emergency aid. Maya was transported to a local hospital with severe injuries, but shortly after the collision, she was pronounced deceased.
Maya had been out on her daily walk with her daughter and granddaughter and they were crossing the street within a marked crosswalk the vehicle struck Maya and fled the scene. The suspect vehicle is a newer Mercedes Benz, possibly a 2010-13 E-350, black in color with tinted windows and stock rims. The rear license plate, CA 5AUT731, may have been removed.
Police released a surveillance image of the vehicle and the suspected driver in the hope that someone recognizes him. The department and Crime Stoppers of Oakland were offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to an arrest in this case.
It was unknown if alcohol or drugs are a factor in the collision. Street racing, however, has been proposed as a contributing factor.
Maya's daughter Sanjoo Verma described the incident to KPIX.
"Boom! Something I heard that and I turned, looked back and her body is blew away and I run, and I see it's a little bit bleeding here, very little and 'Mom, it's okay I'm here, don't worry it's okay,' and she look at me and she gone," said Verma.
Verma and her family are Burmese refugees who have been living in Oakland for several years. Verma's mother moved from Thailand nearly four months ago to help her take care of the children.
For Verma, the move to the U.S. was an opportunity to live with her mother for the first time since she was 14 years old in Myanmar.
"I just the chance to live with her, so I miss everything," said Sanjoo.
Ten-year-old Arpitha Verma was just steps ahead of her grandmother when she was hit.
"I started to scream 'Help, help, somebody hit my grandma,'" said Arpitha, who says she misses doing arts and crafts with her.
"Now I'm just lonely, I don't want to do those anymore," she added.
"She liked to garden a lot and play with the kids," said Verma.
"Come clean, don't lie, tell what you did," said Arpitha.
"Please help me to get the person to make my mom justice, that's all I want," said Verma.
Police asked anyone with information to contact the department's Traffic Investigation Unit at (510) 777-8570.