The Lombardi Law Firm Blog

Another Hit and Run in Des Moines: Kills a Teen this time

Late Saturday night, September 26^th, Devin Fry, age 13, and Rabiatu Timothy, 17, and Marcus Ira-Jenkins, 15, were hit by a dark SUV, now known to be a black Jeep Grand Chereokee, according to the Des Moines Register. Fry and Timothy were brought to the hospital after the police arrived at the scene around 11:45pm. Fry died after surgery on his lungs on Sunday morning. Timothy was in critical condition, but is now said to be doing better. The third teen, Ira-Jenkins, was brushed by the car, but not hurt. The kids were crossing the 1600 block of East University, not in the crosswalk, going north to go to a friend’s house or the Liberian Cultural Center. Ira-Jenkins said he saw the car swerving and with no head-lights on as it came towards them.

There was a tip given to police that led them to 36 year old Angela Arellano.   The police found the black grand Cherokee which was the alleged vehicle in the accident on Sunday at Arellano’s address. Monday morning Arellano, who police were looking for as a material witness, turned herself in to police bringing her own lawyer. Arellano is now charged with “vehicular homicide and serious injury by vehicle” and it is also reported by the Des Moines Register that, “Police Sgt. Lori Lavorato said Arellano was intoxicated at the time of the accident.” Arellano is in the Polk County jail and has an $80,000 bond.

NOTE: There is no known proof of her being intoxicated. A this point that allegation is only an allegation.

The third hit and run accident that has led to a fatality in Des Moines within a month has now killed a young teenage boy who was said to be a good student and hoped to one day play on the high school football team.  This has caused people to wonder the cause of multiple hit and runs in a short span of time. Officer Don Ouimet commented on the topic after the hit and run involving McKinney and Mark Grgurich. Ouimet said:

“Usually it’s that they don’t have a driver’s license, or no insurance or they have a warrant for their arrest, or there’s some illicit activity going on. Maybe they really didn’t know it happened or that it was so minor it wasn’t worth reporting.”

“Hit-and-run people are everyday folks who make a poor choice,” Ouimet said. “But rarely do they leave from sheer panic. There is almost always another reason.”

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