On December 19th, 2021, an elderly man was struck and killed by a vehicle at Coal and Tulane St in the Nob Hill area. The vehicle fled the scene leaving the victim to die on scene.
Albuquerque Police Department found the vehicle a few blocks from the scene at a house. The car had heavy front end damage with a dented hood and cracked windshield. They took Elizardo Cortez into custody.
Witnesses state Cortez hit the victim without braking or stopping to render medical attention. The witness driving behind Cortez said she was driving 35MPH when she witnessed the victim get hit and flip over Cortez’s car.
When Bernalillo County Deputies and Albuquerque Police arrested Cortez they said he smelled of marijuana. He refused a breathalyzer and a warrant for a blood draw was approved.
Elizardo Cortez was booked on vehicular homicide, aggravated DWI, and leaving the scene of an accident. He also had a parole violation of driving on a revoked license.
Cortez has a violent criminal record dating back to 2002. He is currently booked at Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center awaiting his pre-trial detention hearing.