A suspect in an apparently intentional hit-and-run that fatally injured a 44-year-old man last week on an eastern San Diego County street was behind bars Monday following his out-of-state arrest, officials reported.
Nicholas Hoskin, 45, was taken into custody in Grand Junction, Colorado, on Thursday, three days after the suspicious death of Brian Colvin of Spring Valley, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.
Deputies responding to a report that a person had been struck by a vehicle in the 8200 block of Broadway in Lemon Grove about 2:15 a.m. last Monday arrived to find Colvin lying in the roadway, badly injured but conscious.
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Paramedics took Colvin to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office has ruled his death a homicide.
"Witnesses reported the [victim had been] standing in the roadway in front of [a] vehicle, speaking with the occupants of the vehicle," sheriff's Lt. Michael Krugh said last week. "A few seconds later, the [driver] accelerated, intentionally struck [Colvin] and fled from the area."
Authorities did not disclose what led investigators to identify Hoskin, a resident of El Cajon, as the alleged hit-and-run driver. Prosecutors in the San Diego area are working to extradite him back to Southern California to face trial in the case.
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Colvin's friend, Tommy Rodger, says he witnessed the incident and described the pickup that hit Colvin as a newer model Dodge.
“He got hit, and that forced him into the center of the vehicle, and that’s when he went underneath. I saw and heard the whole thing," Rodger said.
Colvin's mother said her son worked in construction, is the father of a college-age son and was once the husband of current National City Council candidate Randi Castle-Salgado. According to his mother, the couple divorced 10 years ago and fell out of touch.
Family members said after losing the battle over drugs and alcohol, Colvin became homeless.
"Brian was a fantastic man. He would always be there if you needed him," Jamie Gilbert, Colvin's friend, said.
Gilbert and Uvaldo Javier Morales knew Colvin well.
"He was my best friend and my family. I wish he would be here," Morales said.
Deputies have yet to locate the vehicle that fatally struck Colvin, believed to be a white 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Quad Cab 4X2, California license No. 51340A2, according to sheriff's officials.
Investigators are asking for the public’s help in identifying the person responsible. You can leave anonymous tips by calling Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
