A food delivery driver has been arrested and charged with a pair of felonies after a serious hit-and-run pedestrian crash last month.
Police say 33-year-old Ronnell Blakeney was arrested Wednesday and is now in jail, facing charges of Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Felony Hit and Run. They say that Blakeney struck the victim with his car during a dispute over Blakeney allegedly driving too fast in the neighborhood.
That’s in line with what one local resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told ARLnow last month.
“The car was speeding. It’s on video,” she said. “[The victim] yelled at the driver to slow down. The driver was a male and there was a female in the passenger seat. He was hit hard. It’s not good.”
“There were several witnesses, the neighborhood was busy with pedestrians, people playing in their yards, and people walking their dogs,” the resident added. She said the victim was a middle-aged man with teen children, not elderly as originally reported.
The victim is still recovering in the hospital following the May 23 incident, according to police.
This may not be Blakeney’s first bout of vehicular mayhem.
A person of the same name, approximate age and appearance allegedly led police on a wild chase of a stolen car from Maryland to D.C. that resulted in multiple crashes. In 2000, a nine-year-old of the same name was said to have taken joyrides in the family’s van and a stolen charter bus.
Court records show no prior charges in Arlington.
More on the arrest, below, from an Arlington County police press release.
The Arlington County Police Department is announcing the arrest of the driver in a critical hit-and-run crash investigation. Ronnell Blakeney, 33, of Baltimore, MD is charged with Aggravated Malicious Wounding and Felony Hit and Run. He is being held without bond in the Arlington County Detention Facility.
At approximately 7:12 p.m. on May 23, police were dispatched to the 3300 block of 22nd Street N. for the report of a hit and run crash. The preliminary investigation indicates the suspect was driving at a high rate of speed while making food deliveries in the area. The victim, an adult male, approached the suspect vehicle and a verbal dispute about the suspect’s driving ensued, during which the suspect struck the victim with the vehicle resulting in serious injuries. The suspect then fled the scene in his vehicle following the crash.
The victim was transported to an area hospital with serious injuries. He remains hospitalized and continues to recover from injuries sustained in the crash.
Following the report of the crash, detectives immediately initiated a critical crash investigation. A review of crime scene evidence and witness interviews led detectives to identify the suspect. He was taken into custody on the evening of June 5, 2024.
This remains an active criminal investigation. Anyone with information that may assist the investigation is asked to contact Detective Galiatsos at 703-228-4163 or [email protected]. Information may also be provided anonymously through the Arlington County Crime Solvers hotline at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477). For additional community resources and contact information, visit our website.
