UPDATE 12:36 p.m. 05/27:
An interim complaint explains how Martin Lopez was arrested on suspicion of hitting a pedestrian near Casino Del Sol.
Deputies responded to a report of a collision on May 25. The person hit had died at the scene.
According to the complaint, Lopez called 911 to advise that he was involved in the incident and had pulled into the casino parking lot nearby in his 2010 Ford Focus.
When deputies arrived in the lot, they noticed Lopez exhibiting signs and symptoms of possible impairment, including red, watery, and bloodshot eyes, and a strong odor of intoxicants coming from his breath, the complaint said.
Lopez exhibited signs of intoxication during his Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus field sobriety test and had a "distinct and noticeable circular sway" while performing the Modified Romberg Balance Test, the complaint said.
He declined to submit to a breath test, the complaint said.
A witness to the incident told deputies he was behind Lopez and observed him striking an object that appeared to be a person on the roadway, the complaint said, while they were both traveling east on Valencia Road. The witness followed Lopez into the parking lot and told him he had hit someone, the complaint said.
Lopez denied he had been drinking that evening. He also said he knew he was involved in the crash, but didn't know with what specifically, the complaint said.
The complaint said the front left corner of Lopez's car was damaged, including the windshield, which was completely shattered inward. The parking lot lights were enough to show hair stuck in the windshield, the complaint said.
Post-Miranda, Lopez said something came into the windshield, the complaint said. He said he didn't know what he had hit, even when the witness told him.
————————————-
Pima County Sheriff's Department is investigating a crash after a pedestrian was found dead on the road near Casino Del Sol.
The incident occurred Sunday night near Valencia Rd. and South Ignacio M. Baumea, just east of Camino Verde.
RELATED STORY: Valencia reopens at Camino Verde after pedestrian-involved crash
According to PCSD, deputies responded to the scene and found the deceased pedestrian at around 10:35 p.m. in the San Xavier District.
Upon arriving at the scene, detectives determined the person had been in the roadway before they were hit by a 2010 Ford Focus.
They also reported that evidence suggested the pedestrian had been struck twice by a second vehicle.
The driver of the Ford Focus, 48-year-old Martin Lopez, called 9-1-1 after driving down the road, but did not stop at the scene, according to the PCSD press release. Lopez was suspected to be impaired, which led to detectives obtaining a search warrant.
Lopez was arrested and is facing charges for Driving Under the Influence and Failure to Stop and Render Aid. He was booked into Pima County Jail.
PCSD has not released the name of the person involved in the incident as detectives are currently in the process of notifying the next of kin.
KGUN 9 will provide updates when more information becomes available.
----
STAY IN TOUCH WITH US ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
