Police find truck but have no arrests yet in hit-and-run that killed Atascadero boy
Update, 5 p.m.:
Police have arrested a suspect in the deadly hit-and-run crash that killed an Atascadero boy.
To read more about this developing story, read our latest article at >>> Police arrest suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed Atascadero boy
Original story:
A makeshift memorial filled with candles and flowers marked the spot Saturday where an Atascadero boy was killed in a hit-and-run collision the day before.
And while police have seized a pickup truck they believe was the vehicle involved, they have not yet made any arrests, according to Police Chief Daniel Suttles.
“I know that there was some reports that some arrests had been made in relation to this, and that’s just not the case,” Suttles told The Tribune on Saturday morning. “We’re still investigating, still working, and we will keep on going, but right now, no arrests in relation to this hit and run has been made by the Police Department.”
Just before 3 p.m. on Friday, police received a report about a child who had been hit on the sidewalk on the northbound side of El Camino Real, in front of the Danish Care Center.
Atascadero Cmdr. Robert Molle told The Tribune that the boy was on the sidewalk across from La Costa Lane when a gray pickup truck swerved onto the sidewalk, struck the child, then drove off.
Later, videos posted on the Everything Atascadero Facebook page by user Lara Alexandra Deleon showed a charcoal-colored pickup being towed away from the Hidden Oaks Village apartment complex nearby, escorted by police.
“Looks like they found the truck in my apartment complex,” she wrote. “Looks like a Ford, but it does have tinted windows and a broken light.”
On Saturday, police confirmed the the vehicle, identified as a 2003 Ford F-150, was suspected to have been the one involved in the crash. Police said it had been abandoned behind an apartment building a few blocks away from the crash site.
Although police have impounded the vehicle and despite rumors shared online, police have yet to publicly identify a suspect, and Atascadero spokesperson Terri Banish said no arrests have been made.
“This investigation remains active, and the Atascadero Police Department is seeking additional assistance from the public,” the department said in a news release on Saturday.
Mourners visit memorial on El Camino Real
On Saturday, visitors and family members stopped by to pay their respects at the memorial beside the sidewalk where the boy was hit.
A relative said the family lived in an apartment complex just north of the site, but members who stopped by the memorial did not want to talk yet.
Longtime Atascadero resident Ty Murray stopped by with his 11-year-old grandson Talon Doughty.
“I just felt really bad,” Murray said when asked why he came by. “I can’t imagine the heartbreak that the parents must be going through right now.”
“My grandson is his age, and he was curious to know who he was,” he added. “So we just came down to see if we could find out some more information.”
Talon said he went to school and played soccer with the boy.
“He was in some of my classes. We always played soccer together with this little friend group of eight, maybe nine people.” Talon said. “(He was a) really kind kid, (but) we always kind of played, like, dirty in soccer. It was fun.”
On Friday night, Tom Butler, superintendent of Atascadero School District, said the boy was a student at Atascadero Middle School. Butler sent out a letter about the death to parents, guardians and staff.
“This is a heartbreaking loss for the entire school community, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” he wrote.
Butler said the district would have support resources available at all of its school sites on Monday.
Boy died at scene of the crash
Molle said emergency responders found the boy unresponsive on the ground. Despite lifesaving efforts, he died of his injuries at the scene.
Preliminary investigation showed that the boy had been walking northbound on the sidewalk when the truck hit him from behind.
Bystanders said the 11-year-old was walking home from Atascadero Middle School with a friend, who witnessed the crash and called her mother. Her mother then called the police.
Police closed El Camino Real from Calle Cynthia to San Diego Way while the investigated the crash. The boy’s parents were on the scene, too.
Atascadero resident Linda Gutierrez said she overheard the crash on the police scanner and headed to the scene to see what happened.
She works as a yard duty at a nearby elementary school, and she said the school bus drops students off at nearby Paloma Creek Park.
“I’m sure the student was walking home off of the school bus,” she said. “I love these kids and it breaks my heart.”
Anyone with information on the crash should call the Police Department at 805-461-5051. Police said anyone who may have witnessed the collision or who has security camera footage or photographs of the truck should contact the detective bureau at 805-470-3252.
For anonymous tips, call San Luis Obispo Crime Stoppers at 805-549-STOP.
This story was originally published March 15, 2025 at 1:35 PM.
