Woman taking morning walk struck, killed by car in Pittsburg

PITTSBURG, Calif. (KGO) -- A Pittsburg woman, out for her morning walk, was hit and killed by a car Tuesday morning.

Police say the driver was reckless and speeding before crashing into the pedestrian and a fence on West Leland Road.

The suspect has been identified as 26-year-old Aroldo Vela-Chavez of Concord. He's been charged with murder, vehicular manslaughter and felony evading police. Police say he was driving with a suspended license and has a prior conviction for a DUI.

Investigators say the woman walking on the sidewalk likely never had a chance. She was struck by a speeding car that blew past a police car seconds before, well above the speed limit.

"Our officer attempted to pull him over. He did that by activating his lights. As he did that the driver, the sole occupant of the vehicle fled at a high rate of speed," said Capt. Ron Raman of the Pittsburg police Department.

By the time the officer got to the top of the hill, he saw that the Camaro had burst through a fence, striking a pedestrian. A 65-year-old Pittsburg woman who was walking on the sidewalk. She was killed instantly.

The car kept going on the Delta View Golf Course, stopped on a putting green and the driver got out and ran. He was captured a short time later in the adjacent neighborhood.

"It's a very tragic and traumatic event. This should not have happened. This individual was driving recklessly and it cost someone their life today," Raman said.

Police confirm this is the third time a speeding car has burst through the fence on this stretch of West Leland in recent years. Investigators are trying to determine why the driver ran from police and whether drugs or alcohol were involved.