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Pasadena Hit-Run Crash Proves to be Fatal

The driver of a black Honda sedan was killed in a two-vehicle crash Sunday in Pasadena, and the driver of the other vehicle allegedly fled the scene on foot was later arrested, police said.

The suspected hit-and-run driver was identified as 34-year-old Robert Michael Ybarra, said Pasadena police Lt. Max Dahlstein.

"He was arrested at a residence in Alhambra about 1 p.m.," Dahlstein said. Alhambra police assisted us and held him at the residence until we could get there and place him in custody."

Dahlstein said that Ybarra had injuries which initially precluded him from being put in jail.

"He was taken to a hospital for treatment of those injuries," Dahlstein said. "We believe from our investigation that Ybarra was driving under the influence at the time of the crash."

Dahlstein also said that Ybarra didn't know the other driver had died.

"He was involved in a major accident, and I think he just wanted to get away from the scene," Dahlstein added.

Ybarra was driving a white SUV that was going southbound on Sierra Madre Boulevard just after 2 a.m. when it crashed into the Honda, which was heading east on Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena Police Lt. Bill Grisafe said.

Investigators were trying to figure out if either vehicle ran a red light or stop sign.

"The impact was pretty severe," Grisafe said. "It (the impact) sent the black Honda over a median and several hundred feet away."

The driver of the Honda, a man in his mid-20s, was pronounced dead at the scene, he said.

"The driver (Ybarra) of the SUV was initially contacted by witnesses," Grisafe said. "But then he fled a short time later on foot. He told witnesses to check on the other driver and apparently used that as a distraction to get away."

Pasadena police asked anyone who saw the crash to call them at (626)744-4501.

Copyright CNS - City News Service
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