Hit-and-run suspect arrested in crash that seriously injures motorcyclist in Point Loma

A motorcycle rider suffered life-threatening injuries March 29 when he slammed into an SUV that turned into his path on Rosecrans Street in Point Loma, according to San Diego police.

Sgt. Kevin Gibson said the SUV driver left the crash scene but a witness followed him about a half-mile and alerted police to his location. Officers arrested the driver on suspicion of hit-and-run.

The crash occurred about 5:30 p.m. as the men were heading in opposite directions on Rosecrans, Gibson said in a statement. The 31-year-old motorcyclist, riding a 2016 Suzuki DR-Z400SM, was heading south.

The other driver, a 56-year-old man behind the wheel of a 2016 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, was headed north when he attempted a left turn onto Oliphant Street, Gibson said. He turned in front of the motorcyclist, who collided with the front of the SUV, Gibson said.

Paramedics took the motorcycle rider to a hospital with internal injuries and fractures to multiple ribs, his upper left arm and both bones in his lower left leg, Gibson said.

After the witness followed the SUV driver a short distance up a hill and into a nearby neighborhood, police took the driver into custody near Plum and Keats streets, Gibson said. The man’s name was not immediately released and the crash was under investigation.