Driver Arrested After Woman Dragged To Death In Antioch Hit & Run
ANTIOCH (CBS 5 / AP / BCN) - Police said Tuesday that an Antioch woman was dragged to death by a pickup truck following an early morning argument.
Lt. Leonard Orman said the victim, identified as Shelly Davis, had been arguing with another person in a produce store parking lot shortly before 1:50 a.m. Tuesday. Orman said she was then hit by a four-door Nissan Frontier pickup and dragged as much as 50 feet on the roadway.
Officers found Davis gravely injured on the road and took her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Shortly before noon, police found a vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident. They took Lucio Rivera-Avila of Brentwood into custody after discovering he was the owner. Officers say surveillance video shows Davis and Rivera-Avila arguing before the fatal dragging.
Officers say Rivera-Avila has confessed his involvement.
Orman said Rivera-Avila knew the woman, but he could not describe their relationship other than to say that they were acquaintances.
"We are still delving into the cause of the fight," Orman said.
Rivera-Avila said he is originally from El Salvador, according to Orman, and has been in the county for about 20 years.
He said he is here legally, but police will contact U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday to report the arrest, Orman said.
Rivera-Avila was convicted in 1994 of felony assault with a deadly weapon in San Francisco County after being arrested about a month earlier on suspicion of assault, false imprisonment and misdemeanor battery, Orman said.
He said Antioch police would obtain the file and look for any possible patterns.
Police also allegedly found a gun in Rivera-Avila's home, which he was not permitted to have because of his conviction.
The Police Department will be looking at him as a possible suspect in other cases and is asking anyone with information about him or the hit-and-run to come forward.
"We are interested in hearing from anybody who knows him and knows anything about their relationship," Orman said of Rivera-Avila and the victim. "We're also interested in anybody who knows much about the suspect's past."
The death is Antioch's 10th homicide of the year and the second in as many days. A woman was stabbed to death Monday morning in a shopping center parking lot. A 56-year-old man has been arrested in the death.
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