HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A woman struck by a vehicle early Monday morning in Dededo died hours after the collision, and the suspected driver turned himself in that afternoon after initially fleeing the scene, according to police.
At about 5:17 a.m. Monday, patrol officers from the Guam Police Department’s Dededo precinct were dispatched to a reported traffic crash on Route 1 near Pacific Tyre in Dededo, police spokesperson Officer Berlyn Savella stated in a press release.
“Preliminary findings indicated that an unknown vehicle traveling northbound by Pacific Tyre struck a pedestrian who was walking towards Pacific Tyre while on the middle northbound lane,” Savella stated. “The vehicle fled the scene in an unknown direction.”
The pedestrian, who was only identified as a female by the Guam Fire Department, was subsequently transported to Guam Regional Medical City, where she was listed in critical condition.
Hours later, Savella issued an update that the woman had been pronounced dead at 9:30 a.m., adding no next of kin had been found.
Arrest
Immediately after police responded to the crash, an investigation was launched and the community was asked to assist in the investigation.
At about 3:55 p.m., however, 55-year-old Reynaldo Binato Rupido turned himself in at the Dededo precinct, Savella stated in a press release Monday evening.
“Through the follow-up investigations, he identified himself to be the operator of (the) 2004 Honda Accord and admitted to his role relative to the traffic crash,” Savella stated. “He was relinquished to investigators with (the) Highway Patrol Division, where the investigation continued.”
Rupido was then arrested under suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident with fatal injuries and was booked, processed and confined at the Department of Corrections Hagåtña Detention Facility.
The case was forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General. As of press time, Tuesday, Rupido had not been charged in the Superior Court of Guam.
GPD’s investigation remains open and ongoing.
Traffic-related deaths
The case marks the island’s 22nd traffic-related death of the year, and the woman was the seventh person to die in a crash this month.
On Aug. 6, mother and son Juliet Dolor and Neil Dolor died after colliding with a power pole along Route 1 by the War in the Pacific National Historical Park Asan Beach Unit and Limtiaco Circle in Asan.
The next day, two women died in separate crashes just hours apart.
The first was 30-year-old Jackeuline Bebout, who was driving a silver sedan on Route 1 in Yigo. She died after she lost control of her vehicle, veered off the roadway, hit a berm in front of the Yigo Pay-Less Supermarket and was ejected from the vehicle.
Hours later, in Anigua, a female pedestrian was hit by a car in the middle lane of Route 1 near Siam Restaurant.
Last week on Aug. 19, Jason Jamodre, 23, and Roxane Lamarsipa died after crashing their vehicle into two trees along Route 1 by the East Hagåtña Mobil station.
Police markings on the road remain after a pedestrian was killed in a hit-and-run collision Monday, Aug. 28, 2023, along Route 1 in Dededo.
Reynaldo Binato Rupido
