PHOENIX — For Dillon Mares' family and friends, their lives changed forever on Saturday morning.
“I was screaming. I was crying. It was something you're never prepared to hear," Sydney Meneses, his friend and co-worker said.
Phoenix police say Mares was hit and killed at the intersection of 16th Street and Camelback Road when a driver in another car, 24-year-old Travis Smith, ran a red light, striking Mares' car in the intersection. His friends say he was driving home from work early Saturday morning.
Police say Smith fled from the scene of the crash on foot, only to turn himself in the following day. He now faces charges including felony reckless manslaughter.
“I really thought that the guy turning himself in would make everything better, but it really didn't," Meneses said.
Wednesday night, the Scottsdale Run Club held their weekly group run at Tempe Town Lake in honor of Mares, who would attend the run club events every week.
“Dillon loved each and everyone that he came into contact with, and he would be so excited to see everybody here tonight," his mom, Brittany Lockwood said. “I promise you, he wishes he could be here to run this with you guys tonight. Thank you so much," she told the crowd.
Mares, an avid runner, was training for a marathon in February, 2025. His friends say he would use his weekly runs with friends as the fuel he needed to complete the upcoming race.
“He had all these ambitions and all these things that he wanted to do, and it was just taken away from him in the blink of an eye," Meneses said. "It really has to remind us that life is precious and you should never take anyone for granted."
Travis Smith will be back in a Maricopa County courtroom on Friday. He remains in jail on a $150,000 cash-only bond.
Mares' family has set up a GoFundMe page to help them pay for his funeral expenses and his families transpiration to Phoenix. You can help them here.
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