A teenager riding an electric scooter died when a man driving a Tesla struck him in Lakewood last month.
Joseph Sutter, 34, is facing vehicular homicide and reckless driving charges in the Aug. 29 crash that killed the 17-year-old boy, the First Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced Friday. The office is not releasing the boy’s name because he was a minor.
Lakewood police were called to the intersection of South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Mexico Place for reports of a crash involving a pedestrian. Officers found the boy lying in the southbound lanes of Wadsworth with severe injuries. He died at the scene.
Traffic camera footage from before the crash showed the teen riding south on Wadsworth at 1:36 a.m., switching from the sidewalk to the road, according to the release. He was on his way home from work.
Witnesses reported seeing the Tesla traveling at a “high rate of speed” as it approached the intersection. The Tesla was traveling south on Wadsworth when it struck the boy, according to Brionna Boatright, a DA’s Office spokesperson.
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Officers found the Tesla and Sutter in a parking lot south of the crash site, the release states. The Tesla’s windshield and bumper were damaged, and part of the scooter was found dislodged nearby.
Police estimate Sutter was driving about 79 mph when he hit the boy. The speed limit in that area is 40 mph.
Sutter was arrested on a warrant Sept. 3.
The crash investigation is ongoing, and Lakewood police are asking anyone who witnessed the crash to contact the department at 303-987-7291.
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