Hit-And-Run Driver Strikes Man After Fight At Area 7-Eleven

LEMON GROVE, CA – Authorities Wednesday were searching for a motorist who fled the scene after striking a pedestrian with his vehicle following a fight between the two men in the La Presa area of Spring Valley.

Dispatchers received a call around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday from a person reporting that a man had been struck by a vehicle in the 7-Eleven parking lot at 9365 Jamacha Boulevard, according to San Diego County Sheriff's Sgt. Garth Schick.

Witnesses told deputies that two men got into an argument near the fuel pumps. The argument then turned physical and the men started hitting each other, Schick said.

The two men eventually separated, and one walked across the parking lot and stood next to a white sedan, the sergeant said.

The suspect got into a vehicle, described as a black Cadillac sedan, then drove directly toward the other man and struck him with the car, Schick said.

The victim was thrown onto the hood of the Cadillac then catapulted into the street, but he was able to crawl onto the sidewalk, he said.

The Cadillac driver started driving westbound on Jamacha Boulevard before turning around and driving onto the sidewalk in an attempt to strike the victim a second time, Schick said. He missed the victim, but continued driving eastbound on Jamacha Boulevard.

The victim was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for treatment of serious injuries, which were not believed to be life-threatening, Schick said.

Deputies interviewed the 32-year-old victim, who told them he knew the suspect and had identified him as a suspect in a strong-arm robbery involving the victim's brother that had occurred earlier that day, Schick said.

As of 6:45 a.m., the suspect remained at large, Lt. Karla Menzies said.

Anyone with information regarding to the incident or the location of the suspect vehicle was asked to call San Diego County Crime Stoppers at (888) 580-8477 or contact the agency online at www.sdcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters may remain anonymous and could be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.

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