Police: Suspect in deadly hit-and-run used child as a shield when arrested

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A deadly hit-and-run led to the arrest of a suspect who attempted to use a child as a shield while fleeing from officers, Colorado Springs police say.

According to the Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD), officers were dispatched to a traffic accident just after midnight on Tuesday near the intersection of South Circle Drive and Airport Road.

When they arrived, they found a pedestrian dead on scene. An investigation revealed that the pedestrian had been walking across the roadway when a vehicle, heading northbound at a "high rate of speed," struck him, CSPD said. The suspect then drove away.

While investigating, police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Dominic Rodriguez and quickly located him nearby, on East Pikes Peak Avenue. When officers tried to arrest him, Rodriguez "attempted to use a small child as a shield," police said.

After taking Rodriguez into custody, police discovered he had an active felony warrant.

Rodriguez is expected to face numerous charges for the deadly hit-and-run and "crimes that occurred when officers attempted to arrest him," CSPD said.