Man arrested for fleeing from scene after crashing into Riverside protester
Police have arrested the driver who allegedly crashed into a woman during a protest in downtown Riverside over the weekend.
The woman, 21-year-old Alexa Carrasco, was one of many who were marching along University Avenue between Main and Orange streets when a black SUV drove into the crowd and hit her, according to a news release from the Riverside Police Department.
"The SUV then fled the scene," police said.
Carrasco was treated at the scene and rushed to a nearby hospital where she remains in critical but stable condition. Friends tell CBS News Los Angeles that she suffered multiple broken bones, including her skull, and a punctured lung.
While investigating the incident, detectives were able to recover the suspect's license plate number and eventually identified the driver, 58-year-old Russell Prentice, who was arrested on Monday in the 4700 block of Jackson Street, according to RPD's release.
Prentice was booked for assault with a deadly weapon and hit and run causing injury, police said.
Additionally, detectives also arrested 39-year-old Riverside woman Candase Wenzel for accessory after the fact and destruction of evidence "for her role in taking the suspect vehicle to Phelan, intentionally destroying and concealing evidence," according to police.
58-year-old Russell Prentice of Riverside was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center for assault with a deadly weapon and hit and run causing injury. Detectives also arrested 39-year-old Candase Wenzel of Riverside for accessory after the fact and destruction of evidence for her role in taking the suspect vehicle to Phelan, intentionally destroying and concealing evidence.
Friends of Carrasco say that she was peacefully protesting with relatives over the weekend when the suspect began to provoke people in the crowd.
Video from the scene shows protesters approaching the vehicle, and while most stood outside of the driver's door, some others bumped into the left taillight and used an object to smash it. The suspect then turned the car around quickly and drove into the crowd where he struck Carrasco.
Anyone who knows more about the incident is urged to contact detectives at (951) 353-7103 or (951) 353-7104.
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