AUSTIN -- Police said a man struck a pedestrian while driving away from police last week, according to an arrest affidavit.
The affidavit states an officer tried to stop 21-year-old Miguel Hernandez after noticing he was driving a stolen vehicle on Interstate 35 near Highway 290 on Feb. 4. The officer said Hernandez drove away, hitting speeds above 100 miles per hour and weaving through traffic. Officers pursued him north on I-35, west on Braker Lane and north onto Metric Boulevard until Hernandez crashed into a pedestrian walking on the sidewalk on Metric Boulevard.
According to police, after hitting the pedestrian, Hernandez and a passenger climbed out of the car and ran away. Officers caught Hernandez in the playground area of a nearby school and determined he had taken crystal meth before the crash.
The pedestrian was taken to University Medical Center Brackenridge with a serious brain injury. He underwent surgery.
Austin police are launching a new initiative to reduce pedestrian fatalities. There have been four so far this year, and in each case the victim was not in a designated crosswalk.
Officers will pay more attention to keeping pedestrians off major roadways and ticketing drivers who fail to yield.
Hernandez is charged with evading with a motor vehicle, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, failure to stop and render aid, aggravated assault with a a motor vehicle, evading on foot and driving while intoxicated.
