SAN ANTONIO – A license plate left at the scene of a hit-and-run crash led San Antonio police to the driver accused in the case, records show.
San Antonio police say Johnny Ruiz Jr., 37, was driving a Smart car at 1:15 a.m. on Monday in the 6500 block of Old Highway 90 West when he struck a 24-year-old male pedestrian.
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Ruiz is accused of feeling the scene and the victim was taken to a hospital in critical condition.
Officers responding to the scene found a license plate, a housing for the passenger’s side mirror and red paint flakes on the road, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
Investigators were able to locate the suspect vehicle parked outside a motel on the West Side. The affidavit states the car was red, had damage to its windshield, and had a missing housing for the passenger’s side mirror.
Hotel management told police the car belonged to Ruiz, who was inside one of the hotel rooms. When questioned by officers, he said a tree had fallen onto his car, the affidavit states.
A witness told police that Ruiz appeared inebriated when he arrived at the motel that morning, the affidavit states. The witness said Ruiz told them he hit something.
According to the affidavit, Ruiz later told the witness he believed he hit a person after watching news coverage of the crash.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on Monday evening. He is facing a charge of collision involving serious bodily injury.