Update 9 a.m. Wednesday:
Police have identified the man who was run over and killed in Sunday evening’s Fairview hit-and-run collision.
Officers have notified the family of 32-year-old Phillip Lupie, police said in an updated statement Tuesday.
Original story:
Anchorage police say the victim in a Fairview hit-and-run collision late Sunday night was lying in the road, with passersby trying to get help when an unlicensed driver struck and killed him.
Josiah Martinez, 19, was initially charged with leaving the scene of a crash and failure to render aid, according to a police statement. Police said Martinez was also cited for driving without a license, with more charges possible.
In a charging document against Martinez, police said at least three people saw the victim – who hasn’t yet been named as police notify his family – lying on the 1000 block of East 11th Avenue, east of Ingra Street. Surveillance footage showed that one person stopped and tried to wake him up. Police say one driver pulled over and called police to notify them, and a second activated high-beam headlights to illuminate the area.
Moments later, police say, Martinez drove a red Subaru Outback on East 11th past the parked drivers.
“(One driver) began honking her horn in (an) attempt to get Martinez’s attention,” police said in the charges. “(She) believed Martinez was driving too fast for a residential neighborhood. (She) saw Martinez’s rear brake lights come on for a split second as the vehicle ran over (the victim).”
Police say the victim was dragged by the Subaru for about 15 feet, before the vehicle headed further west then turned north on Ingra Street.
After the collision, police and medics responded at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday. The victim was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
According to the charges, surveillance video from homes in the area also showed the victim was stumbling and “appeared intoxicated.” At one point, he dropped a Pepsi bottle, picked it up then laid down on East 11th.
“Shortly thereafter, he rolls onto his side and appears to fall asleep,” police said. “(He lies) there for about 15 minutes before being struck.”
The charges say police found the Outback parked outside an apartment building on East 10th Avenue. Its registered owner initially told them that he was responsible for the collision, but couldn’t remember what happened.
Officers also spoke with Martinez, who also claimed to be the driver. Both men were taken to police headquarters for interviews, according to the charging document. The registered owner invoked his right to an attorney, but Martinez allegedly waived his rights and agreed to speak, saying he didn’t have a driver’s license but planned to get one.
Police say Martinez was returning from a fast-food restaurant when he saw two cars in the road. He told officers he steered around one car, only to be blinded by the high beams of the other.
“At the last second, he heard a horn blaring one long steady blast,” police said. “As that long horn occurred, he saw an object in the roadway that he thought was some type of car part or muffler. He continued to drive in first gear and continued home without stopping, turning north on Ingra.”
A police drug recognition expert examined Martinez and concluded that he was not impaired.
Sunday’s collision is Anchorage’s second in about a month where a driver has hit and killed a person lying in a street or parking lot. Mary Rickteroff-Andrew, 52, was killed March 6 after a minivan ran her over outside of the South Anchorage Walmart store. The minivan’s driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with officers, who said no charges were filed in that crash.
Martinez was being held at the Anchorage Correctional Center Tuesday, after making an initial court appearance in the afternoon.
Chris Klint is a web producer and breaking news reporter at Alaska Public Media. Reach him at cklint@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Chris here.
