A Maryland man has pleaded guilty in the death of a pedestrian who was struck while crossing the street in Alexandria, Virginia.
Fredy Ortiz Dominguez, 46, of Hyattsville pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter Thursday.
Last November, 46-year-old Roy Saravia Alvarez of Alexandria had finished crossing Glebe Road on the crosswalk right after getting off a bus.
Ortiz Dominguez was waiting to make a left turn from northbound Mount Vernon Avenue onto West Glebe Road. When it was his turn, he took a wide turn and drove up to the sidewalk, striking Saravia Alvarez from behind and pinning him under the vehicle.
For several minutes, Ortiz Dominguez pressed the gas pedal and rocked his truck back and forth with Saravia Alvarez underneath, according to a statement from the city’s commonwealth’s attorney.
Onlookers tried to get Ortiz Dominguez to stop, but he did not until police got there.
Fire Department crews freed Saravia Alvarez when they arrived, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Prosecutors said that drugs and alcohol were not a factor, and that the two men did not know each other. The cause of the crash has not been determined.
The city’s commonwealth’s attorney, Bryan Porter, said that there’s no indication the crash was intentional.
“Our theory of the case is that he simply lost control and panicked. There is no reason to believe he intentionally tried to strike anyone,” Porter said.
Ortiz Dominguez is being held at the Alexandria jail. His sentencing is scheduled in September, and he faces up to 10 years in prison.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
