Suspected driver charged in fatal Pleasant Hill hit-and-run

The suspected driver of the vehicle behind a hit-and-run that left a bicyclist dead Sunday morning in Pleasant Hill has been arrested.

The driver faces charges of a felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated, according to a statement from the Pleasant Hill Police Department.

Police responded to a call of a collision involving a cyclist just before 2 a.m. on March 8 at the intersection of Contra Costa Boulevard and Taylor Boulevard.

They found a 41-year-old woman who had been riding a bike and had been struck by a vehicle. She was critically injured and pronounced dead at the scene.

The driver had left the scene, and officers closed the intersection for several hours while they investigated.

They later found the suspected vehicle — a dark-colored Mazda SUV — parked and unoccupied several blocks away in Concord, with damage consistent with a recent collision. Police took the vehicle’s owner, who was also the suspected driver, a 45-year-old Concord resident, into custody. She was booked on charges related to felony hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

The collision is under investigation, and anyone with information that may help investigators is encouraged to call the Pleasant Hill Police Department at 925-288-4600.