Driver in fatal crash says he spoke to victim before leaving

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – An Anchorage man charged in a fatal hit-and-run crash told police he spoke to the woman he hit and she said she was fine.

The Anchorage Daily News reports 71-year-old Ruti Malietufa was arraigned Monday on a felony count of leaving an accident scene without assisting an injured person.

Police have not released the victim’s name.

Police investigating the crash early Saturday night found the woman dead on Third Avenue just east of the Anchorage jail. She was surrounded by debris from a broken headlight and her shoe was in the westbound lane.

Malietufa told police he was driving east and hit something. He told police he turned around, saw the woman and she told him she was fine.

Malietufa was arrested Sunday. He remained jailed Tuesday.
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Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com