A 62-year-old man was arrested Wednesday evening on suspicion of felony hit-and-run after his burgundy Prius allegedly plowed through the intersection of 23rd and Mission, clipping a Muni bus and hitting three pedestrians, critically injuring two.
The Prius was traveling westbound on 23rd around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday when the collisions occurred. As ABC 7 reports, the car first clipped the bus, which was traveling northbound on Mission, and collided with a pedestrian in the crosswalk, pinning him between the car and the bus. SFPD Sgt. Frank Harrell explains that the Prius was traveling at a high rate of speed and then after the bus stopped — due to having been hit — the Prius driver then attempted to flee the scene, and struck two bus passengers disembarking the bus in the process.
Mission street is closed between 24th and 23rd. Someone told me that that 2 people got hit by a car pic.twitter.com/2ldXZjjLBc
— ANTIFA NAFTA 2.0 (@faiqus) February 13, 2020
Mission St. between 24th and 22nd. @SFPD says 3 people were hit at about 420pm this afternoon by a speeding Prius. 2 people in critical condition. Police suspect alcohol, investigation continues. Driver was last seen on scene getting medical attention. Details @abc7newsbayarea pic.twitter.com/bsd16s78QS
— KrisReyes (@KrisReyes) February 13, 2020
The male pedestrian in the crosswalk and a male passenger from the bus were both critically injured, and a female bus passenger sustained less serious injuries, per the Chronicle. The critically injured victims are said to be 49 and 34 years old, and both remain in critical condition this morning.
The Prius driver reportedly left the scene for about five minute before returning, and was then seen in an ambulance and taking a field sobriety test. While authorities initially suspected a DUI, SFPD spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca tells the Chronicle, "At this point we do not believe DUI as being a factor for this ongoing and open investigation."
62-year-old Stephan Kernan was booked into county jail just before 1 a.m. Thursday on two counts of leaving the scene of an accident and one count of failure to stop at a red light. The vehicle involved in the accident, according to the Chronicle, is registered to a woman who is related to Kernan.