BERKELEY, CA — A 66-year-old drunk driver was arrested Tuesday night after killing a pedestrian in Berkeley and then fleeing the scene, police said.
Police say a 64-year-old woman was walking near Ashby Avenue and Regent Street when a driver going westbound struck her just before 6:40 p.m.
The driver then continued driving, according to the Berkeley Police Department.
Authorities responded to the crash and took the woman to a local trauma center, where she died from her injuries, police said.
Thanks to a witness who noted the car's license plate number, officers used the department's Automated License Plate Reader technology to ping the suspect traveling towards San Rafael, police said.
Just beyond the I-580 and I-80 split, officers pulled the driver over and took them into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence, driving under the influence with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or more, driving under the influence causing injury, driving under the influence causing injury with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or more, hit-and-run causing injury and gross vehicular manslaughter, police said.
Berkeley police said this was an example of how the department uses ALPR technology for timely investigations.
"This was particularly important because locating the driver quickly allowed officers to investigate the driver's possible impairment close in time to the incident," police said. "Just as importantly, this investigation demonstrates the value of community involvement."
ALPR technology has been controversial, with many communities feeling it can be used to invade one's privacy.
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