A 40-year-old Commerce City man was arrested in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed an accomplished wheelchair fencer on Friday, according to the Lakewood Police Department.
Lakewood police arrested Jimmy Lee Chavez at a home in Commerce City on Tuesday, the department said in a news release.
Chavez was out on bail after being arrested on suspicion of vehicular eluding in Adams County, according to court records. He posted a $2,500 bail in the case in October.
Chavez previously pleaded guilty in separate cases to charges of driving under restraint, driving without a license, obstructing a peace officer, weapons possession and possession of contraband in a detention facility, according to court records.
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The hit-and-run occurred near West 23rd Avenue and Kipling Street at 7:24 p.m. Friday when a Chevy Camaro fatally struck a pedestrian and fled the scene. The pedestrian was later identified as 29-year-old Terre Engdahl, an award-winning parafencer who lived in Lakewood.
Chavez is in custody at the Jefferson County Jail on a $10,000 cash bail and is set to appear in court Tuesday.
Police are still searching for the Camaro, which sustained heavy front-end and windshield damage and is missing the driver’s side headlight. The car’s Colorado license plate, DWB-P87, may have been removed.
Anyone with information can call Lakewood police at 303-983-7300 and ask for Detective Moffat.
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