DUI Manslaughter Charge Added In Fatal Pedestrian Crash

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The motorist St. Petersburg Police say was involved in a March fatal hit-and-run pedestrian crash on Central Avenue now faces DUI manslaughter charges.

According to the agency, Souvanna Thongdara, 39, turned himself in to the Pinellas County Jail Monday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. Police say toxicology reports involving blood draws taken from Thongdara on the night of March 18 showed his blood alcohol level was 0.217 at the time of the crash.

The crash Thongdara has been connected to occurred around 11:50 p.m. March 18. Police say Morgan Donald Hill, 48, was crossing the street “in or near the north crosswalk” of Central Avenue and 3rd Street in downtown when he was struck by a vehicle, an email to media said. That vehicle fled the scene, but was stopped a short distance away.

Police say Thongdara, the only person in the car, was initially charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury. Alcohol was believed to be a factor in the crash, so the blood samples were taken, police said.

After the crash, Hill was taken to Bayfront Health. He died from his injuries on March 25, police noted.

The search for Thongdara on the new charges began over the weekend and ended when he turned himself in, police said.

Booking photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Police Department

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