By SDCN Staff
Oceanside, CA–A 78-year-old man was killed early Thursday morning in a hit-and-run collision along Mission Avenue , authorities said.
Oceanside police officers responded to Mission Avenue just east of Mesa Drive at 5 a.m. after receiving reports of a vehicle striking a pedestrian. According to a preliminary investigation, a westbound vehicle hit the elderly man before fleeing the scene.
Officers later located the suspect vehicle—a 2005 silver Toyota Tacoma—in the 200 block of Los Arbolitos. The driver, a 24-year-old Oceanside resident, was detained and taken into custody.
He was subsequently booked on charges of vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run. Investigators said drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been factors in the crash.
The Oceanside Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team responded and continues to investigate the incident.
Anyone with information is urged to contact Traffic Investigator Lissner at (760) 435-4651.
