Escondido police search for off-road SUV that fled after fatal hit-and-run

A hit-and-run at an Escondido intersection left a pedestrian dead Tuesday, authorities said.

Miguel Leonides Garcia, 58, was crossing the street to the west at Broadway and Mission Avenue when a white "off-road style" SUV struck him shortly after 6 a.m., according to the Escondido Police Department.

Following the impact, the driver of the vehicle — which was outfitted with a large spare tire and a red jack attached to its back end — continued driving, fleeing north on Broadway and then east on Lincoln Avenue, police said.

Paramedics took Garcia, an Escondido resident, to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.