Driver Arrested In Fatal Hit-And-Run After Truck Abandoned

BRADENTON, FL — State troopers have arrested a Bradenton man for a felony hit-and-run resulting in death and driving with a suspended license Wednesday. He was taken to Manatee County Jail.

Richard Aaron Richardson, 42, is the driver of a Ford F-150 pick-up truck that struck and killed a 34-year-old woman crossing U.S. 41 near Bayshore Gardens Parkway in Bradenton Monday about 6:33 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol said. He fled the scene of the accident.

The woman was pronounced dead on the scene by Manatee County EMS. Trooper Kenneth Watson said they won't release her name until the crash report is made public.

On Tuesday, troopers found Richardson’s truck in the 3600 block of 16th Street West in Bradenton, less than 10 minutes from where the fatal crash took place. This address is not Richardson’s address, Watson said.

Troopers found the vehicle, a black-and-orange Harley Davidson edition of the F-150, thanks to its unique markings.

"That's what helped so much. So often, we'll have a red Ford F-150 and you literally have 350 of them in the county," Watson said. "When you have something with that iconic coloring that the Harley Davidson edition has, it really helped limit the field."

FHP worked with the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office to impound the truck, which will undergo forensic testing.