A witness's description of a silver Kia Soul and a license plate reader alert helped officers locate the driver within hours, police said.
Berkeley, CA - November 4, 2026
A 64-year-old pedestrian died Tuesday evening in Berkeley after a vehicle hit her and left the scene, police said. A 66-year-old driver was arrested hours later. ABC7 San Francisco reported the case, citing police.
Key Facts
- Date: Tuesday evening, reported November 4, 2026
- Location: Ashby Avenue and Regent Street, Berkeley, California
- Type of crash: Pedestrian struck by a vehicle that left the scene (hit-and-run)
- Vehicles involved: Silver Kia Soul
- Injuries / fatalities: One fatality, a 64-year-old woman
- Responding agencies: Berkeley Police Department; Berkeley Fire Department
- Reported by: ABC7 San Francisco
Crash Overview
A call came in reporting that a westbound car had struck a pedestrian and gone off. Officers arrived at Ashby Avenue and Regent Street at 6:38 p.m. The woman was transported by Berkeley Fire Department crews to a nearby trauma facility, and she died there later.
A witness helped investigators by spotting a silver Kia Soul a few blocks from the crash and giving police its license plate number. Officers entered the number into the agency's license plate reader system. An automated plate reader alert came in at 9:02 p.m., showing the car had gotten onto I-80 from the Gilman Street entrance. Officers spotted the car heading toward San Rafael, just past the I-580/80 split, stopped it and detained the driver.
Police said the 66-year-old was taken into custody on suspicion of impaired driving, injury-causing DUI, leaving the scene after causing injury, and gross vehicular manslaughter, along with other alleged offenses. Police credited the witness's information and the plate reader alert with helping them find the driver within hours of the crash.