RAMONA, Calif. — A Ramona man was arrested Tuesday for allegedly fleeing after the SUV he was driving struck a bicyclist in his eastern San Diego County hometown, seriously injuring her.
California Highway Patrol officers took 34-year-old Chase E. Richard into custody Tuesday afternoon in the 16000 block of Swartz Canyon Road, about six miles from the site of the crash, CHP public affairs Officer Jeff Christy said.
Richard is suspected of failing to stop after his northbound 2019 Ford Edge drifted off state Route 67 near Dye Road about 6:15 a.m. last Wednesday, striking the 53-year-old victim from behind.
Medics airlifted the woman - who has been identified by loved ones as Michelle Scott - to Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, where she remains hospitalized, Christy said. Details on her medical condition have not been released.
Acting on a tip from the public, CHP investigators tracked down Richard's damaged SUV in a residential garage in the San Diego Country Estates subdivision of southeast Ramona on Monday and seized it as evidence.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help with Michelle Scott's medical costs.
