Pedestrian Killed in Highway Hit-and-Run

A Santa Barbara man was killed in a vehicle vs. pedestrian hit-and-run collision early Tuesday morning, and authorities are asking the public to help identify the driver who fled the scene.

According to CHP spokesperson James Richards, multiple witnesses reported seeing the man — whose name has not been released — staggering along southbound Highway 101 lanes between the Ortega Street overcrossing and the Castillo Street offramp at around 1 a.m. CHP and SBPD officers were dispatched to the location but soon came across a collision scene “and reported the man had been struck by a vehicle and succumbed to his injuries,” said Richards.

Based on evidence collected at the scene, including a driver’s side door mirror, investigators determined the suspect was driving a white Hyundai that sustained damage to its left front and side areas. He or she has yet to contact law enforcement, Richards noted. As officers investigated the scene, the highway was closed and traffic rerouted to Carillo Street, which had little impact on travel during the early morning hours.

The CHP has issued a Be On the Lookout (BOL) notice for the involved Hyundai and requests anyone with information on the incident to call its Santa Barbara office at (805) 967-1234.