Vehicular Homicide: Driver Charged in Hit-and-Run That Killed Pedestrian

Witnesses helped Gwinnett Police track down an alleged hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a pedestrian Sunday evening in the Norcross area.

Gwinnett Police spokesman Ed Ritter said Ruth A. Escobar, 50, of Norcross has been charged with vehicular homicide, hit and run, failure to stop at a stop sign and driving without a license. She is in the Gwinnett County jail.

Police say Kanaiyalal P. Patel, 85, also of Norcross, died at Gwinnett Medical Center after being hit at the intersection of Kings Ridge Drive and Singleton Road. He was walking north on the sidewalk and was walking across Kings Ridge when he was struck. Escobar, who was driving a pickup truck, had intended to turn south on Singleton, police said.

The accident occurred around 6 p.m. Sunday, April 13.

“A witness stated that the vehicle did not stop for the stop sign on Kings Ridge Drive and struck the pedestrian as he crossed the roadway,” Ritter said in an emailed media alert. “The driver of the vehicle did not stop to render aid and drove off.”

Ritter said a witness followed the vehicle to Oakbrook Pointe Apartments in Norcross. “Officers located the driver with the assistance of the witnesses and took her into custody,” he said.

The investigation continues.