Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Dad Who Was Changing Tire: Police

A 34-year-old father of three is dead after a car hit him while he was changing a tire early Sunday morning in Hartford and police are looking for the driver.

Luis Maldonado, 34, of Hartford, was changing a tire near the intersection of Preston Street and Campfield Avenue just after 5 a.m. when he was hit in the road and thrown. Police said he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The car that hit him was traveling at a high rate of speed and fled the scene, turning in an unknown direction on Maple Avenue, police said.

Police are looking for a 2000-2003 black Nissan Maxima with significant damage to the front end, specifically the front passenger side.

State Rep. Angel Arce, whose father was killed in a hit-and-run in Hartford in 2008, is calling for the driver to come forward.

"Turn yourself in because, sooner or later, we’re going to catch you," Arce said. "This guy was just changing a tire. My father was crossing the street." 

The hit-and run that killed his father, Angel Arce Torres, made national headlines and led to public outcry.  Nearly two years after the incident, a man pleaded guilty in the case.

The fog light and running light lenses on the evading car are amber colored.

Residents said speeding is far too common on Preston Street and they are hoping speed bumps will be installed to prevent another tragedy like the one on Sunday morning.

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