Woman charged after 23-year-old woman killed in hit-and-run on Richmond’s East Cary Street

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A 41-year-old woman has been charged after police said she allegedly hit a 23-year-old woman crossing East Cary Street and left the scene Monday evening. The pedestrian later died due to her injuries.

At 5:34 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17, officers with the Richmond Police Department were called to the intersection of South 2nd Street and East Cary Street for the report of a pedestrian who was hit by a vehicle.

When officers arrived, they found a woman down and unresponsive in the northbound lanes of South 2nd Street. Police said she was taken to a local hospital where the woman died due to her injuries.

Virginia Living staff confirmed to 8News that the pedestrian killed was 23-year-old Hope Cartwright, who served as special projects editor.

Officials said the driver who hit her left the scene before officers arrived.

The Richmond Police Department Crash Team reportedly responded to the scene to investigate and determined that the woman was walking in the crosswalk, crossing 2nd Street, when she was hit by a vehicle making a left turn from East Cary Street.

Police said information from the scene was sent to analysts at the Richmond Police Department's Capital City Intelligence Center, who then used video from traffic cameras and information from Flock automatic license plate readers to identify the vehicle that hit the woman, as well as the vehicle's registered owner.

Officers then found the parked vehicle and "made contact" within an hour of the crash, according to police.

Officials said 41-year-old Latesha Coleman, of Richmond, was charged with felony hit-and-run.

Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards applauded the work by officers to find and arrest the alleged driver in the crash.

“This is an excellent example of good police work from Fourth and First precinct officers and Crash Team investigators, aided by CCIC and the narrow, sharp focus of Flock technology to produce a rapid arrest for this tragic collision,” Edwards said. “The department is working several investigations of fatal collisions which are all advancing on their appropriate legal paths, but I am encouraged by the quick result this mix of police work and technology can produce.”

Anyone with further information is asked to call Richmond Police Crash Team detective K. Quinn at 804-646-6190.