Driver accused of hitting car, abandoning injured passenger in Pasadena

Driver accused of hitting car, abandoning injured passenger in Pasadena

by Ruby Gonzales

A driver suspected of being under the influence of drugs crashed into a parked car early Monday morning, then left behind his injured passenger.

Officers found marijuana and Xanax in the suspect’s car, Pasadena police Lt. Pete Hettema said. They also caught the suspected hit-and-run driver.

He said the suspect’s passenger, a 17-year-old girl, was taken to a hospital to be treated for an injured ankle and abrasions to her left side and left forearm.

A PT Cruiser crashed at 1:53 a.m. into a parked vehicle on the 300 block of Washington Boulevard.

A witness told police the vehicle’s driver picked up his injured passenger, took her to the back of a church and left her there, according to Hettema.

Officers who responded to the crash found the passenger. They also located the driver, John Rodriguez, 18, of Pasadena, nearby and arrested him on suspicion of hit-and-run and felony driving under the influence.

Rodriguez is being at Pasadena jail in lieu of $100,000 bail.

All credit goes to Ruby Gonzales Originally published on https://www.dailynews.com