SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested Tuesday after police say he hit a pedestrian, drove off and didn’t contact officers until hours later.
Erik Benjamin Connor, 49, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of failing to remain at a serious accident.
Salt Lake police responded to an auto-pedestrian crash just before 5 p.m. near 1700 South and Main. Officers arrived to find an 84-year-old man “on the side of the road with a cut to his head and was transported to the hospital. Officers were later updated that the victim had a collapsed lung and brain bleed,” a police booking affidavit states.
Police said Wednesday that “the man’s condition worsened and hospital staff downgraded his condition to critical.”
Police located the Ford F-350 suspected of hitting the man parked around the corner with no one inside. Officers parked their patrol vehicles around the car and left their emergency lights flashing as they got out to look for the driver. But while officers were looking for Connor, he returned to his vehicle and drove off, according to the affidavit.
“At no time did Erik talk to officers on scene to let them know he was the driver,” officers noted in the arrest report.
Police say “hours later,” Connor called with his attorney and turned himself in.
