Santa Maria Police have arrested a man they believe was the driver in a hit-and-run collision that left a man lying dead on a rural road on the western edge of the city early Saturday.

Police officers and medical personnel were dispatched just after midnight to the 600 block of Black Road on a report of a possible person down in the roadway, said Sgt. Shane Armstrong.

“Upon arrival, officers located a deceased male in the northbound lane of Black Road,” Armstrong said. “Evidence at the scene indicated the individual had been struck by a vehicle.”

The victim was believed to be a man in his 50s, and officers were still working to positively identify him and notify his next of kin.

The involved vehicle was not immediately located, Armstrong said, and the incident was being investigated as a hit-and-run traffic collision.

The suspect vehicle was described as a white sedan with major front-end and windshield damage.

Saturday afternoon, Armstrong reported that investigators had tracked down the alleged driver.

Magdaleno Valentin-Mozqueda, 32, was arrested and booked into the county’s Northern Branch Jail on suspicion of felony hit and run causing injury or death.

The investigation was continuing, and anyone who may have witnessed the collision is asked to contact police at 805.928.3781, ext. 2277.