A suspected DUI driver has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run collision in Santa Ana that left a female pedestrian in extremely critical condition on Wednesday, police said.
Alberto Solano Diaz is seen in a booking photo released by Santa Ana police.
Just after midnight, an officer was driving southbound on Standard Avenue when he observed the victim lying in the roadway near Edinger Avenue, according to a Santa Ana Police Department news release.
He stopped his car to check on the victim, and found her unconscious and not breathing.
Personnel from the Orange County Fire Authority responded to the scene and took the critically injured woman to a local hospital. She has not been identified.
During the investigation, officers found an unoccupied car with “major front end damage” in the vicinity of the crash site. They also saw a man walking away from the area, according to the release.
He was detained at the scene and determined to be under the influence of an unknown substance, police said.
Investigators combed through surveillance cameras in the area and found video that purported to show the suspect exiting the damaged vehicle and walking away from it a short time before officers got there, the release stated.
The man, identified as 38-year-old Alberto Solano Diaz, was arrested and booked on suspicion of DUI causing injury and hit-and-run, both felonies, according to authorities.
Police suspect alcohol played a role in the crash, which remains under investigation.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Cpl. Brett Nelson at 714-245-8208.