Hit-and-Run Suspect Turns Self In

A suspect in the hit and run death of a cyclist along North Coast Highway has turned himself in, according the San Diego County Sheriffโ€™s Dept.

James Steven Swarzman, 47, of Encino, was riding with a small group of bicyclists in Leucadia around 1 a.m. Sunday when a Dodge Ram struck him and fled the scene, investigators said.

Carlsbad resident Joseph Ricardo Fernandez, 46, contacted Carlsbad police on Monday and told them he was possibly involved in a collision, deputies said. Police determined the vehicle, a Dodge Ram 1500, was similar to the suspect vehicle.

Fernandez was arrested at 11.15 p.m. Monday, deputies said. His vehicle was impounded as evidence.

โ€œThe damage to the vehicle was consistent with the evidence obtained at the scene of the collision,โ€ said Sgt. Mark W. O'Connor.

Fernandez was booked into the Vista Detention Facility on a charge of felony hit-and-run.

โ€œThe investigation is still ongoing and additional charges may be filed,โ€ said Sgt. O'Connor.

Swarzman, an avid cyclist, was transported to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla via Mercy Air and was pronounced dead three hours after the accident.

A witness following the truck just before the collision said the vehicle drifted between the middle of the No. 1 and No. 2 lanes before striking Swarzman from behind, deputies said.

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