An arrest was made Tuesday in the fatal hit-and-run near Old Town that left a beloved University of California, San Diego, student dead over the weekend.
Corundolus Toussaint, 38, was taken into custody around 9:30 p.m. Monday, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said. Toussaint is a former U.S. Navy service member who served from February 2000 to June 2005, the Navy confirmed.
Toussaint is accused in a hit-and-run collision that happened around 3 a.m. Saturday on southbound Interstate 5, about a mile away from Lindbergh Field.
Andres Perkins, 21, a resident of Menifee, California, was struck and killed in the hit-and-run. CHP investigators said the young man had been trying to cross the freeway on foot when a driver struck him.
When officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Perkins' body lying in the roadway. The person who hit him was gone.
Near Perkins, CHP officers found a license plate belonging to a 2004 Honda Accord, which investigators believed was the vehicle that struck the student.
A short time later, investigators found an abandoned car matching the suspect vehicle description at a Shell gas station on Pacific Highway. Investigators believe Toussaint exited the freeway, drove to the gas station, left behind the blue Honda Accord and fled.
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The car was impounded as evidence but an arrest was not immediately made in the case.
Police were ultimately able to identify Toussaint as the suspect in the hit-and-run and, late Monday night, he was booked into San Diego County Jail on one count of felony hit-and-run causing injury or death, the CHP said.
Toussaint is scheduled to appear in court Thursday.
[G] UC San Diego Student Killed in I-5 Hit-and-Run
According to Perkins’ younger sister, Anais Perkins, the UC San Diego student was majoring in neuroscience and had dreams of becoming a doctor. He planned to attend medical school after graduating from UC San Diego.
Anais Perkins told NBC 7 her brother was bright, focused, kind and generous, and was always willing to help her with her school work — no matter how busy he was with his own.
For Christmas, Perkins gifted his sisters with matching bracelets — one that he also wore.
“He actually passed away with his bracelet around his wrist,” Anais said.
Anais said her brother was a volunteer for an organization that helped children with disabilities.
“He inspired us and will continue to inspire us each and every day,” she added.
Perkins enjoyed hiking, swimming, surfing and nature.
His sister said she will honor him by living her best life and “by being the successful individual he aimed to be.”
The Perkins family has established an online fundraising page to help with memorial expenses as they deal with this tragic and unexpected loss.
