Investigators are asking the public to help identify a driver who struck and killed a pedestrian on Highway 101 in Santa Barbara early Tuesday before fleeing the scene.
Shortly after 1 a.m., reports of a man staggering in traffic lanes came into dispatch, and police and California Highway Patrol officers responded, according to CHP Officer James Richards.
Officers arrived within minutes at the scene — on the southbound freeway between the Ortega Street foot bridge and the Castillo Street offramp— and found the pedestrian dead, Richards said.
The victim was a Santa Barbara man in his early 20s, but his identity has not been released.
The vehicle had fled the scene, and Richards said investigators believe the driver was in a white Hyundai and kept driving southbound on Highway 101. Traffic was rerouted off the highway while investigators worked on the scene, Richards said.
Richards said anyone with information about the driver or the vehicle should contact the California Highway Patrol office at 805.967.1234 and ask for Officer Rob Grindy, who is handling the investigation.
— Noozhawk staff writer Lara Cooper can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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