81-year-old man killed in Huntington Beach hit-and-run; suspect arrested
A suspect has been arrested in a hit-and-run which left a 81-year-old man dead Thursday evening in Huntington Beach.
According to Huntington Beach police, the collision occurred just before 5 p.m. Thursday on the corner of Yorktown Avenue and Newland Street.
The vehicle was traveling east on Yorktown Avenue, and had just crossed through the Newland Street intersection, when it struck the victim, police said. The victim was not in a marked crosswalk.
The driver sped away. The victim was rushed by ambulance to a hospital, where he died.
His name was not immediately released, though authorities identified him as John Stout on Friday.
Huntington Beach police confirmed Friday that a suspect was arrested with the help of a tip from the community. The suspect, identified as 23-year-old Blake Patraw, was arrested at around 9:30 a.m. Friday morning.
The Stout Family spoke with CBS reporters on Friday, they had just celebrated their grandfather's 81st birthday, and are now left to mourn the loss of their family patriarch following this tragic incident.
They said that their grandfather left a little before 5 p.m. for what he said would be a quick walk.
Stout reportedly suffered from both Alzheimers and dementia, so after about an hour of him being gone they decided to see if he needed help. When they walked around the corner they saw the crime scene.
Stout was reportedly still conscious after the crash, and witnesses who saw the crash remained with him through his final moments, which the family says they are eternally grateful for.
It was these witnesses who provided the crucial details to investigators, resulting in the quick arrest of Patraw Friday morning.
"The quickness in which this arrest took place is all thanks to the community," said Jennifer Carey with the Huntington Beach Police Department. "We received numerous tips with great information that ultimately led to the arrest of the suspect."
The site of the crash is the very same as the fatal collision that killed twin brothers Josh and Jeremy Page, two Edison High School football players in March.
The Stout Family continued to note to CBS reporters that they were amongst the thousands of Huntington Beach residents to have signed a petition on Change.org to install protected lefthand turn signals at the intersection.
