Man About To Become Naturalized Citizen Killed By Loose Tire After Hit-And-Run Crash In Dallas, Suspect Arrested
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - An elderly man was killed after he was hit by a loose tire from a hit-and-run crash in a Dallas neighborhood Tuesday afternoon, police said.
Police said German Soto Acre, 46, was driving in the 1800 block of South Marsalis Avenue at around 3 p.m. and was allegedly speeding when he hit a parked car along a curb. The crash caused the parked car to hit a second parked vehicle.
According to police, the crash caused the second parked vehicle to lose its right front tire, which then hit the victim, 75-year-old Teodulo Fernandez, as he was standing on the sidewalk near his home.
Fernandez was set to become a naturalized citizen, his son Leandro told CBS 11.
The family was planning a celebration and now they're planing a funeral.
Leandro described what happened to his father.
"There was a truck coming real fast, slammed into the car," Leandro said. "... the tire from the Charger flew, hit my dad in the back, and hit the concrete real hard."
The suspect's vehicle ended up crashing into a metal fence in front of Fernandez's home. Police said Soto Acre then ran away from the crash scene.
Fernandez was taken a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police said Soto Acre was eventually arrested and charged with failure to stop and render aid leading to death.
"He don't know what he took from us, he don't... and that's what really hurt me, and I'm angry because if would've just stopped to help, that would've been a different story," said Juan Fernandez, one of Teodulo's sons.
Residents in the area call the stretch of Marsalis Avenue from Edgemont to Illinois a "death trap." They say high speed crashes are common.
