Merced,CA-On Saturday, December 16 2017, at approximately 8:45 PM. Officer Walton responded to a vehicle vs. Pedestrian collision on Parsons Ave. John Velasquez (30, Merced) was traveling north on Parsons Ave and the intersection of Oregon drive in a Toyota Highlander when he struck a 69 year old female pedestrian who was walking in the roadway.

The pedestrian suffered major injuries and was transported to Mercy Hospital where she passed away from her injuries. The Pedestrians name is being withheld pending notification to her family. The collision remains under investigation and it is not known at this time if drugs and/or alcohol were a contributing factor.

Merced Police are asking anyone with any information regarding this traffic collision to contact Sgt. Dabney at (209) 388-7719, or the Merced Police Department Tipster Line at (209) 385-4725. The public can send information via anonymous text messages to police department by dialing “TIP411” (847411) and including the word “Comvip” as the “keyword” in the text message.