Man arrested for hitting two pedestrians in downtown Tempe
May 16, 2014, 3:34 PM | Updated: 3:34 pm
PHOENIX — A man was arrested Thursday night after allegedly hitting a recent Arizona State University graduate and his mother in downtown Tempe, police said.
Court documents identified the mother as Denise Durocher and the recent graduate as Anthony Pelot.
“[Durocher] was in very, very critical condition,” said Lt. Mike Pooley. “She was taken to the hospital where she is still suffering from very serious injuries.”
Police arrested the driver, 22-year-old Andrew Merriman, who had just left the El Hefe bar.
“When our officers got out there, they saw that Andrew Merriman was believed to be impaired,” said Pooley. “They arrested him for aggravated DUI, aggravated assault as well as endangerment.”
Documents said Merriman was driving a Ford Mustang when he lost control. The vehicle hit a curb, street light, several bushes and a tree before hitting Durocher and Pelot.
Merriman was driving on a suspended license after he failed to appear in a Surprise, Ariz. court.
El Hefe is being investigated.
Pelot was not seriously injured.
KTAR’s Martha Maurer contributed to this report.
