Man arrested for allegedly fleeing crash in Woodlawn that killed pedestrian

Fairfax County police have made an arrest in one of two fatal pedestrian crashes that occured on Richmond Highway this past weekend.

Kelechi Uzodinma, 61, of Woodbridge was arrested on Sunday (Feb. 18) after allegedly hitting a pedestrian in the Richmond Highway and Brevard Court intersection in Mount Vernon’s Woodlawn neighborhood around 10:40 p.m., the Fairfax County Police Department reported today.

According to police, Uzodinma was driving south on Richmond Highway (Route 1) in a 2015 Lexus GS 350 when he hit Alexandria resident Heliodoro Luna-Perez, who was crossing the roadway near Brevard Court “outside of a crosswalk.”

There are no crosswalks at that intersection, where Brevard Court leads into the Pinewood South condominiums. Google Maps indicates that the closest striped crosswalks are about 0.3 miles to the south at Frye Road and a half-mile to the north at Russell Road.

Luna-Perez was hit while in a southbound lane, the FCPD says. He was transported to a hospital, where he died early Monday (Feb. 19) morning at 51 years old.

According to the police, Uzodinma fled the scene before officers arrived. He was found less than an hour later “almost 2 miles away from the scene,” the police department said.

Uzodinma has been charged with a felony hit and run and is currently in custody at the Adult Detention Center on a $2,500 bond.

“Detectives continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash,” the FCPD said. “Alcohol was deemed to not be a factor for Uzodinma in this crash and speed is still under investigation.”

According to Fairfax County General District Court records, Uzodinma is scheduled for an arraignment on Friday (Feb. 23) and a preliminary hearing on May 29.

Records indicate that he got cited for an infraction on Jan. 13 for driving 55 mph in a 35-mph zone. He was released on a summons in that case, where he will get an adjudicatory hearing on Feb. 27.

Luna-Perez was the second pedestrian to die in a traffic crash in Fairfax County this year after another man was killed on Thursday, Feb. 15 while crossing Richmond Highway before the Belfield Road intersection in Belle Haven.

Police haven’t publicly identified the victim in that crash yet, citing a need to inform his family.

There have been three fatal crashes on Richmond Highway this month, including one on Feb. 14 where a 19-year-old driver died after rear-ending a dump truck.

According to the FCPD, the county hadn’t had any fatal pedestrian crashes at this point in 2023.

Image via Google Maps