PHOENIX — The driver who allegedly fled from his car after hitting a motorcyclist Wednesday night on Interstate 17 has been booked into jail, court records show.
Marc Distel, 29, was recently taken into custody for his alleged involvement in a hit-and-run crash that killed an 18-year-old motorcyclist, records show.
Distel's vehicle struck the back of the victim's motorcycle near Union Hills Drive, resulting in the motorcycle getting lodged in the front of the suspect's car. The motorcyclist, identified as Eleazar Valdez Jr., then fell off their bike and was hit by another car, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety.
When the suspect's car came to a stop, the driver was seen fleeing from the freeway on foot.
Investigators later found Distel at a local hotel and interviewed him about the deadly crash. He allegedly admitted to hitting something while driving along I-17 and then abandoning his car, court records show.
Distel allegedly told investigators he had been on "prescription medications while he was driving," records show.
Data recovered from the suspect's vehicle indicated he was allegedly driving at about 90 mph at the time of the crash.
Distel could be facing charges of manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal collision.
DPS said the other driver involved in the crash won't be charged.
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