A man accused of fatally striking a pedestrian in Midtown Anchorage on Saturday has been charged with driving under the influence and fleeing the scene of an accident without providing assistance.
In a statement, Anchorage police said officers and fire department medics responded around 3:10 p.m. to a report that a Subaru had hit a man lying in the road near the intersection of Benson Boulevard and A Street. Police have not yet publicly identified the man, saying Monday they were still trying to tell his family.
According to a charging document, traffic camera footage showed the man lying down in the middle of a lane around 2:47 p.m.
About three minutes later, a red Subaru struck him. The driver got out, briefly walked to the passenger side and then left the scene without providing assistance, according to charges.
The man was still conscious when officers arrived. He told them he had been drinking, and did not recall what happened, prosecutors said in the charges. He was transported to a hospital and died around 3:41 p.m.
He is the 12th pedestrian fatally struck by a vehicle in Anchorage this year.
Police later identified Shalah Reaves, 49, as the driver of the vehicle and arrested him. According to charges, Reaves called 911 from his home to report the collision, about nine minutes after it happened. He told officers his phone had died. In the charging document, prosecutors said the incident occurred near a gas station, and Reaves could have called 911 from there.
Officers questioned Reaves and issued a blood alcohol test, which showed a result of 0.0. A separate drug recognition expert evaluated Reaves and determined he was under the influence of marijuana and another “central nervous system stimulant,” and he was unfit to operate his vehicle, charges say. After Reaves was arrested, officers searched his vehicle and found materials associated with transporting illegal drugs. Reaves told officers he had purchased and consumed methamphetamine earlier in the week.
Reaves was charged with a felony and misdemeanor for leaving the scene of the accident without providing aid and a misdemeanor for operating his vehicle while under the influence. His first in-custody court appearance is scheduled for Thursday.
