A 54-year-old man was struck and killed by a suspected drunk driver in what police described as a "hit-and-run" on a street near downtown Anchorage early Saturday morning.
The man believed to be the driver, 22-year-old Pao Yang, has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, leaving the scene of an accident, and manslaughter. A breath sample taken at the scene found that Yang's blood alcohol level was .163, about two times the legal limit to drive, Dani Myren, an Anchorage police spokeswoman, said in a statement.
The incident was reported just after 2 a.m. near 1500 E. Fifth Ave. Officers found that the victim, identified as Guy Merculief, was walking across Fifth Avenue in front of the Holiday gas station when he was hit by a vehicle described as a red Honda Civic, Myren said. Merculief was not using a crosswalk, she said.
When officers and paramedics arrived, Merculief was found lying in the roadway. He was pronounced dead at the scene, Myren said.
The suspect fled before officers arrived, but witnesses helped police locate the red 2008 Honda Civic parked in a lot on Concrete Street, in the parking lot of the Mush Inn, Myren said.
The suspect, identified as Yang, was found a short distance away, near Fifth Avenue and Unga Street, Myren said. He is being held on bail terms of $100,000 cash corporate plus $100,000 cash, Myren said.
Merculief's death is the third pedestrian fatality in Anchorage in less than two weeks. Just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 17, Craig McCarty was struck and killed by a Honda Accord while crossing Muldoon Road. And around 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 36-year-old Arthur Mike was pronounced dead on the scene after being hit by a Chevy Suburban driven by Nita Akpik, 29, near the Ben Boeke Ice Arena on Gambell Street. In both of those cases, the drivers stayed on the scene and cooperated with police, according to APD.
Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported the bail set for Yang.