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Man arrested in fatal vehicle crash on South Park Avenue and East Drexel Road

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Posted at 1:17 PM, Feb 13, 2022
and last updated 2022-02-13 15:23:56-05

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Feb 6. 2022 around 10:30 pm officers responded to a vehicle crash at the intersection of S. Park Ave. and E. Drexel Road.

Officers reported three passengers were ejected out of a white 1984 GMC pickup truck and were found in the roadway. Police say the other vehicle involved in the crash was a 2012 Infiniti sedan, the driver of this vehicle fled the scene on foot.

The Tucson Fire Department took the three passengers to Banner University Medical Center with life-threatening injuries. The Tucson Police Department Air Unit was then called in to locate the driver that fled the scene.

Police say 41-year-old Michael Aaron Roman was found hiding nearby and was taken to the Banner UMC with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

After the Traffic Unit Detectives finished their investigation, it has been determined that Michael Roman was driving well above the posted speed limit of 40 MPH, according to the department.

The Traffic Unit Detective stated that Roman failed to stop at a red light and struck the pickup truck. The DUI unit also responded and determined that Roman was impaired at the time of the crash.

Evidence on the scene points shows that none of the occupants in each vehicle were wearing seatbelts, police say.

On Feb. 12, 2022, 61-year-old James Vernon Ammons passed away due to injuries from the collision. The other two passengers of the 1984 GMC pickup truck have been identified as a male and females in their 50s.

Roman has been released from the hospital and booked into Pima County Jail for multiple felonies. He has currently been charged with second-degree murder for the passing of James Ammons.

The investigation is still ongoing and more charges may be added.

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