PITTSBURGH — A 65-year-old man is dead after being struck by a suspected drunk driver early Saturday morning, around 2:40 a.m. in Pittsburgh’s Bluff neighborhood.
>>> Man charged with DUI, killing man in early-morning crash in Pittsburgh <<<
Police said Kamal Prasad Upreti, 34, of Pittsburgh, was driving under the influence when he made a left turn in the wrong direction onto Fifth Avenue from Vine Street.
Upreti’s Dodge Ram 1500 struck Andre Reynolds, 65, who was crossing the street.
A local business employee, who asked not to be identified, told Channel 11 that he witnessed the chaotic aftermath.
“When I just came out from the back, I saw that there were a lot of people that were screaming, and it was a panic,” the business employee said.
“Then I saw a lot of police and like the ambulance came here, and the next day I heard there was a guy,” he added.
The business employee said Reynolds was a regular customer.
According to court documents, Reynolds was found inside the bucket of an excavator near the scene, suffering from a severe head injury.
He was transported to a hospital, where he died shortly after 4:40 a.m.
“It was pretty sad. I know he got hit by a car, and he was just minding his business basically. He was in the crossfire,” said Clarence Turner, a clerk at a nearby Shell gas station.
Witnesses reportedly restrained Upreti after he allegedly tried to flee.
Investigators used city surveillance cameras to link him to the crash.
Police said Upreti smelled of alcohol and gave inconsistent statements during questioning.
He is now facing multiple charges, including DUI, reckless driving, accidents involving death or personal injury and failing to stop and give information or render aid.
“We always have people sitting down here, so they had to watch that, and that was pretty heartbreaking to think about,” Turner said.
Channel 11 has also learned that Upreti was out on bond for unrelated criminal charges at the time of the crash.
He remains in the Allegheny County Jail and is expected to appear before a judge Aug. 28.
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