Austin Police Make Arrest In 3-Year-Old's Hit-And-Run Death [UPDATE]

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- Police have made an arrest in connection to a hit-and-run death of a three-year-old boy earlier this month.

An anonymous tip led police to Pflugerville where a truck matching the description of a hit-and-run incident on May 22 was located. Police made contact with the truck's owner and determined it was the same vehicle seen in a surveillance video showing it striking Ethan Hernandez, 3, as he walked on a crosswalk with his family on Cameron Road.

The truck was found at the 1100 block of Walnut Canyon in Pflugerville, and a person there told police who was using the truck on the day the boy was killed. That led them to the 1800 block of Burton Drive where they later arrested Ramiro Escalante-Vasquez, 41. According to police, Escalante confessed to having driven the truck and hitting the boy before fleeing the scene.

The suspect has been charged with Fail to Stop and Render Aid, a 2nd Degree Felony, with a bond set at $100,000.

"The Austin Police Department would like to thank the Austin community for all their tips leading to the arrest of Escalante-Vasquez," police said in a statement.

The May 22 incident occurred while the boy was walking across Cameron Road with his family. The fatal collision occurred at the intersection of Cameron Road and Briarcliff Boulevard at about 5 p.m.

Police subsequently released descriptions and images of the type of vehicle involved -- a white or tan early 2000-model Chevrolet Silverado pickup with a ladder on a rack located in the back of the truck's bed -- in the hopes of locating a suspect, who fled the scene after the impact.

The boy's death prompted equal amounts of grief and outrage throughout the city. Last week, the funeral director who prepared the child's body for burial sent out an emotional plea on social media asking for the then-unknown suspect to surrender to authorities.

"I want you to see these pictures and I want you to know how much it pains me to know that you would run over a child and not stop to render aid," Robert Falcon wrote. "What a careless act. I had to listen to a mother and father cry and bargain with God today because you took their son from them."

The boy's death marked the 26th traffic fatality in Austin so far this year, police said.

>>> Booking photo of Escalante via Austin Police Department